利用CRl提高英语听说交际能力

收听英语广播节目是学习英语的有效途径和提高听力理解能力的有效方法.本文分析讨论了在国内使用中国国际广播电台（CRI）广播节目进行英语教学较VOA、BBC所具有的优势,介绍了使用CRI“新闻与报道”节目进行英语听说教学的方法,指出使用CRI节目进行英语教学,是提高学习者“双向”跨文化交际能力的有效手段.     

L'usage de la radio dans l'enseignement secondaire à Montréal, 1920–1970

The use of radio for educational purposes in high schools expanded considerably between 1920 and 1970. Education scholars generally qualify radio for schools as a failure. This conclusion is based on the accessibility of radio sets in schools, the interest of teachers in radio for schools, and the budgets allocated for the purchase of radio sets. A wider investigation shows that educational radio resulted from collaboration among school personnel, radio broadcasters and the political authorities. We agree with communication scholars that using a means of communication for educational purposes involves many spheres of society. An examination of the origins, development and decline of radio broadcasting for schools also reveals that this was a technical substitution phenomenon; one means of communication was replaced by another. The use of radio in schools gradually declined, following the introduction of television in schools during the 1960s. Taking all these aspects into account, our study identifies the social mechanisms whereby radio was used for teaching in high schools. This clearly illustrates on a more general level the change in use of audiovisual tools in schools. The Montreal Catholic School Board (CECM) — the largest French‐language school board in Canada — is an institution of particular interest for the study of radio broadcasting for schools. Because of it size, the CECM had sufficient resources and personnel to be a pioneer in education. From 1931, CECM personnel went on the air on CKAC radio to popularize instruction in music, literature and language. Members of Montreal's educational community, parents and students alike, and listeners interested in learning, began to view radio as a means of conveying knowledge. In 1936, Société Radio‐Canada (SRC), the French‐language section of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, appeared on the Quebec radio scene, and educational radio gradually became more clearly defined. The programs that were aired, of which the best known was Radio‐Collège, gave the green light to educational radio in francophone Quebec. Before emulating SRC initiatives, the CECM used radio as a tool for social communication. In the early 1950s, the school board used radio mainly as a forum for explaining educational issues to the public; for example, teachers' salary negotiations. From autumn 1950, the CECM School and Family Committee aired a series of ten programs about the role of the school in society. Post‐war Montreal society was in a state of flux. Urbanisation and the emergence of mass communication and consumption were transforming the entire social structure. The francophone elite was starting to question traditional values taught by the Church, and religious practice was declining. Reacting to these new realities, the CECM appealed to parents for their help to ensure that together, family and school would succeed in the task of educating children. The board also used CKAC to discuss the shortage of schools. When parents demanded schools for their children, speakers from the School and Family Committee explained how the problem would be solved. As these examples show, Montreal schools initially made use of radio for social communication.

In 1954, following the third congress on the French language in Canada (Troisième congrès de la langue française au Canada), the CECM devised a wide‐ranging campaign to improve the spoken language of students. This was the beginning of educational radio. With the help of executives at CKAC radio, the board created school broadcasting designed to improve everyday language in students from grades 1 to 12. After the first series of programs proved a success, the board repeated the project the following year, broadcasting twice as many lessons. The glory years of Améliorons notre langue parlée would follow, with the series airing continuously from 1954 to 1963. As a result of this enduring venture, the government extended teaching by radio to other school boards across the province of Quebec. This marked the institutionalization of school radio broadcasting. Transistor radios, the democratisation of high school teaching and active pedagogy were all elements that boosted the use of radio in schools. Radio was now present in every classroom, but television was also being introduced. Radio had earned pride of place but was gradually superseded by television. The range of academic subjects widened, and the numbers of hours set aside for television broadcasting increased. Meanwhile, the use of school radio broadcasts gradually diminished. We therefore attribute the decline in radio broadcasting for schools to the emergence of television for schools, in other words, a phenomenon of technical substitution.

Finally, our research shows that the contribution by social agents incidental to schools and the influence of various factors external to schools are of major importance in explaining the mechanisms whereby educational radio became part of school life. It shows that radio changed in status from a public communication tool in the 1930s, to a pedagogic tool supporting the teaching of French twenty years later. Our study also shows that radio for schools was created not only by school‐related actors and institutions but also by the mass media and government. Far from being a failure, as education scholars maintain, educational radio was a success, but was replaced by television in the late 1960s.     

Learning science from children's radio: Summative evaluation ofKinetic City Super Crew

The impact of four half-hour science programs aired on commercial radio was assessed in a causal-comparative between-groups study with prebroadcast and postbroadcast questionnaires. Of 253 fourth graders, 34% listened to one or more shows of the Kinetic City Super Crew series. Significantly more girls listened than boys. Listeners and Non-listeners did not differ on background variables of ethnic status, science attitudes, science reading and television viewing, and participation in seven of eight common at-home science activities. After broadcast, significant group differences, all favoring Listeners over Non-Listeners were obtained on five of twelve true-false statements and two of four science phenomena questions. Significantly more Listeners than Non-listeners engaged in home science activities, which included projects directly related to the series's content. The programs were not successful in affecting science attitudes or countering stereotypes. Overall, results were interpreted as suggesting the positive potential for using radio to expose children to science at an early age.This research was supported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science through a National Science Foundation Grant (MDR-9253374). Opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the National Science Foundation. The author would like to thank the Howard County administrators and students for participating in the study. She also thanks Dr. Ilona Holland, Barbara Nord and Debbie Slechta for coding data and Dr. Marcus Lieberman for statistical analysis. For reprints, contact Dr. Barbara Flagg, Multimedia Research, 33 Browns Lane, Bellport, NY, 11713.     

Radio Astronomy: A Strong Link Between Undergraduate Education and Research

The program at the MIT Haystack Observatory has added a new opportunity for students as part of our overall national effort to encourage research by undergraduates. Radio astronomy complements other branches of astronomy, augments science education broadly, and serves to promote interdisciplinary research and education. In the past 2 years, we have conducted a successful pilot program to develop and test a program that facilitates the linking of undergraduate research and education through radio astronomy. As a result of this effort, a small radio telescope has been developed and can be used as a hands-on introduction to radio astronomical techniques and instrument calibration. The telescope is presently being commercialized so that it can be purchased as a low-cost kit for assembly. Remote access to the Haystack 37-m antenna has made it possible for students nationwide to access a research grade facility and we invite faculty everywhere who are interested in this possibility to use our facility. Undergraduate students can participate in the exciting world of research by performing experiments with the telescope. Radio astronomy materials for faculty, students, and interested amateurs have been developed are posted on our web site (http://www.haystack.mit.edu). The materials will continue to be upgraded and enhanced, and the contributions from participating teachers and students nationwide will be added to the project files. We hope to make this not only a resource for someone using our facility but also for the community in general.We are now bringing the Haystack telescopes and radio astronomy to the broad undergraduate community. Based on our pilot experiences, we envision students everywhere being able to exploit the opportunity to strengthen their education through practical research using radio astronomy.     

Character,Social–Emotional,and Academic Outcomes Among Underachieving Elementary School Students

Students with persistent disruptive behavior problems lose valuable time in academic lessons, are a distraction for classmates, and cause stress for teachers. Recent meta-analyses indicate that 87% to 92% of published studies on school-based interventions targeting student problem behaviors report results from demonstration projects (involving highly trained staff under ideal circumstances) rather than routine practice programs. This study investigates the routine use of a schoolwide classroom management program and its relationship to elementary students’ social and academic outcomes. Three years after training in the classroom management program, 56 second-, third-, and fourth-grade teachers in an urban school district were assessed for fidelity to the program. Program fidelity was determined via direct observation in the classroom and validated by teacher self-ratings of fidelity and administrator ratings of teacher fidelity. Dependent variables included student engagement during academic lessons, out-of-school suspension rates, and report card grades. Results indicated that high program fidelity was significantly related to greater academic engagement and fewer suspensions, but not higher report card grades. This study adds to the scant literature on implementation fidelity of routine programs with high-risk populations.     

University science students as curriculum planners,teachers, and role models in elementary school classrooms

Project SEARCH (Science Education and Research for CHildren) is an outreach program designed to teach science and to foster positive attitudes toward science. Through the project, university science students bring activity-based learning, plus materials and content expertise, to local classrooms and after-school programs. Using observations, surveys, and interviews, we examined the experiences of these students as curriculum planners, teachers, and role models for the children. We found that teachers value the enthusiasm and the resources provided by the SEARCH students. Children were engaged in the activities and looked forward to the students' visits. They also see them as positive and diverse models for the role of scientist. But there were often problems in the areas of preparation, scheduling, and communication, and the classroom activities often replicated traditional didactic lessons. The SEARCH experience highlights both the value of providing diverse and challenging experiences for children, and the need for dialogue and reflection on those experiences. Despite several concerns, the SEARCH model is one that deserves expansion and further study as it is extended into new settings. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 34 : 69–88, 1997.     

The exclusive language of science? Comparing knowledge gains and motivation in English-bilingual biology lessons between non-selected and preselected classes

The dominant role of English as the global language of science entails a requirement for science teachers to equip their non-native English-speaking students with receptive and productive language skills for communication in scientific contexts. Although science courses with English elements are part of some schools’ bilingual programmes, they are usually not available to a wider student audience, but are restricted to high achieving or highly motivated students. The present study was to test whether a newly developed biology content and language integrated learning (CLIL) unit could also benefit standard ninth grade classes. The learning gains and motivation of bilingually inexperienced students were compared to those of a preselected group and a comparison group that had been taught solely in their native language. All participating classes achieved similar gains in content knowledge, and the standard students rated their motivation for bilingual science lessons as positive, albeit not as high as the preselected group. We thus provide evidence against concerns that teaching non-selected students bilingually might lead to deficits in content knowledge acquisition. Following this, we conclude that scientific English should be a part of standard science lessons regardless of specific school programmes.     

Sign language recognition and translation: a multidisciplined approach from the field of artificial intelligence

In recent years, research has progressed steadily in regard to the use of computers to recognize and render sign language. This paper reviews significant projects in the field beginning with finger-spelling hands such as "Ralph" (robotics), CyberGloves (virtual reality sensors to capture isolated and continuous signs), camera-based projects such as the CopyCat interactive American Sign Language game (computer vision), and sign recognition software (Hidden Markov Modeling and neural network systems). Avatars such as "Tessa" (Text and Sign Support Assistant; three-dimensional imaging) and spoken language to sign language translation systems such as Poland's project entitled "THETOS" (Text into Sign Language Automatic Translator, which operates in Polish; natural language processing) are addressed. The application of this research to education is also explored. The "ICICLE" (Interactive Computer Identification and Correction of Language Errors) project, for example, uses intelligent computer-aided instruction to build a tutorial system for deaf or hard-of-hearing children that analyzes their English writing and makes tailored lessons and recommendations. Finally, the article considers synthesized sign, which is being added to educational material and has the potential to be developed by students themselves.     

Using cogenerative dialogues to improve coteaching for language learner (LL) students in an inclusion science classroom

This paper presents findings from a study conducted in an urban elementary school in the United States with an English language learner (ELL) student and two teachers engaged in collaborative teaching in an inclusion science classroom. This study examines the efficacy of utilising cogenerative dialogues between an ELL student and his science teacher and English as second language teacher to improve instructional practices enacted during coteaching. Drawing from field notes, teacher and student interviews, and video captured during cotaught science lessons and during cogenerative dialogues between the student and his coteachers, we examined the ways in which cogenerative dialogue expands teachers’ agency to adapt curriculum and implement instructional strategies that can better meet the needs of their students. At the same time, we examined the ways in which participation in cogenerative dialogues with his teachers expanded this student’s agency as a science learner and a language learner.     

How gender influences learners working collaboratively with science simulations

This paper presents an overview of several research projects involving groups working with science simulations, in particular with relation to gender effects on science learning. The groups of learners discussed include: pairs of adults working together on computer simulations at a distance, or side by side, pairs of 15 year-olds working with computer simulations, and larger groups of younger children working co-operatively on combinations of computer simulations and real science experiments. While collaboration may be in many respects a good thing, there is a growing realisation amongst science educators that particular features of the learning experience are altered by the gender composition of the groups. These features range from the way in which conflict is expressed or the task perceived, to differences in the way that dialogue is used. These findings need to be considered together with evidence concerning the barriers which girls experience while learning science. This work is reviewed, together with some research projects involving students working collaboratively with computers on science topics. Gender differences in the most productive way of forming groups to work at the computer on science simulations are considered.     

Children Making Sense of Science

This study explored the effects that the incorporation of nature of science (NoS) activities in the primary science classroom had on children’s perceptions and understanding of science. We compared children’s ideas in four classes by inviting them to talk, draw and write about what science meant to them: two of the classes were taught by ‘NoS’ teachers who had completed an elective nature of science (NoS) course in the final year of their Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree. The ‘non-NoS’ teachers who did not attend this course taught the other two classes. All four teachers had graduated from the same initial teacher education institution with similar teaching grades and all had carried out the same science methods course during their B.Ed programme. We found that children taught by the teachers who had been NoS-trained developed more elaborate notions of nature of science, as might be expected. More importantly, their reflections on science and their science lessons evidenced a more in-depth and sophisticated articulation of the scientific process in terms of scientists “trying their best” and “sometimes getting it wrong” as well as “getting different answers”. Unlike children from non-NoS classes, those who had engaged in and reflected on NoS activities talked about their own science lessons in the sense of ‘doing science’. These children also expressed more positive attitudes about their science lessons than those from non-NoS classes. We therefore suggest that there is added value in including NoS activities in the primary science curriculum in that they seem to help children make sense of science and the scientific process, which could lead to improved attitudes towards school science. We argue that as opposed to considering the relevance of school science only in terms of children’s experience, relevance should include relevance to the world of science, and NoS activities can help children to link school science to science itself.     

Reading prosody development in Spanish children

Reading prosody is considered one of the essential markers of reading fluency, alongside accuracy and speed. The aim of our study was to investigate how development of reading prosody in Spanish children varies with sentence type and length. We compared primary school children from the third and fifth grades with an adult sample. Participants were recorded reading aloud a narrative text including short and long declarative, exclamatory and interrogative sentences. Recordings were analysed using Praat software to measure several prosodic features (i.e., pauses, duration, pitch and intensity). We found that third-grade children had not yet developed an adult-like prosody: they made more pauses, had a flatter melodic contour and had difficulty anticipating sentence structure. Fifth-graders displayed some features of adult prosody. Both length and type of sentence influenced the expressiveness of reading in the three groups. We conclude that reading expressiveness is closely related to reading experience and develops in a similar way to decoding and reading speed.     

中学生英语口语学习困难的成因及对策

中学生在英语口语方面有这样那样的困难 ,究其原因 ,有使用英语口语的机会少 ,学业负担重、高考无需口试、外语教师素质等外在因素和学习者的主观因素。针对这些问题 ,教师应当采取一些对策 ,如激发兴趣、增加口试、活跃对话课、培养开口交际能力、充分调动元认知策略等。     

The Effect of Increasing Conceptual Challenge in Primary Science Lessons on Pupils' Achievement and Engagement

This paper reports research into the effect on 11‐year‐old pupils of introducing more cognitively challenging, practical, and interactive science lessons. Our hypothesis was that such lessons would increase the children's enthusiasm for science and their engagement with the scientific process, thereby improving educational performance. Schools in England are under pressure to raise achievement, as measured by the results of national tests. This has an impact on teaching, where revision of subject knowledge often dominates and can be particularly detrimental to more able pupils. The research was a controlled trial which took place in thirty‐two English primary schools as part of a project “Conceptual Challenge in Primary Science”. Teachers from 16 intervention schools participated in continuing professional development (CPD) and developed science lessons that had more practical work, more discussion, more thinking and less (but more focused) writing. The proportion of pupils achieving the highest level (level 5) in the national science tests at age 11 was compared in the matched‐school pairs before and after the intervention. Focus group interviews were also held with a group of pupils in each intervention school. There was a 10% (95% Confidence Interval 2–17%) increase in the proportion of children achieving the top score in the intervention schools. The pupils and teachers reported greater engagement and motivation. These findings suggest that moving from rote revision to cognitively challenging, interactive science could help improve science education. They merit replication in other international settings to test their generalisability.     

Dialogue Analysis and Its Application in English Language Class

Dialogue is frequently employed as role-play in the classroom activities.Students are encouraged to practice speaking skill in the context of a certain conversation.Conversation tasks in listening exercises also attract various interests in English lessons.This essay aims to analyze the functions of dialogues,followed with the discussion on how to apply the proper dialogues into English classroom,and ending up with the suggestions of some possible activities adopted in English language class.A dialogue cited from Dellar and Walkley(2003,p.125)is used as a sample to interpret in detail.     

Factors Influencing Science Content Accuracy in Elementary Inquiry Science Lessons

Elementary teachers face increasing demands to engage children in authentic science process and argument while simultaneously preparing them with knowledge of science facts, vocabulary, and concepts. This reform is particularly challenging due to concerns that elementary teachers lack adequate science background to teach science accurately. This study examined 81 in-classroom inquiry science lessons for preservice education majors and their cooperating teachers to determine the accuracy of the science content delivered in elementary classrooms. Our results showed that 74 % of experienced teachers and 50 % of student teachers presented science lessons with greater than 90 % accuracy. Eleven of the 81 lessons (9 preservice, 2 cooperating teachers) failed to deliver accurate science content to the class. Science content accuracy was highly correlated with the use of kit-based resources supported with professional development, a preference for teaching science, and grade level. There was no correlation between the accuracy of science content and some common measures of teacher content knowledge (i.e., number of college science courses, science grades, or scores on a general science content test). Our study concluded that when provided with high quality curricular materials and targeted professional development, elementary teachers learn needed science content and present it accurately to their students.     

电大英语口语混合型学习模式的研究与实践

广播电视大学的学生学习时间和空间受到更多的限制.网络及教育信息技术迅猛发展,为学习者提供更灵活的时间和空间的选择.本文以广播电视大学(以下简称电大)的英语口语教学为例,把教师尝试的混合式学习(Blended Learning)模式的实践经验加以总结,进一步探究教师开放式教学和学生开放式学习的新模式.     

合作学习在电大英语阅读教学中的应用

本文认为在电大英语阅读教学中采用合作学习具有必要性,并在分析其中存在的问题及原因的基础上,提出了合作学习在电大英语阅读教学中优化应用的对策。