Learning,Empowerment and Judgement

Here is a distinction that appears very simple, looks compelling and seems to be deeply rooted in our reflections on learning. The distinction is between activities of learning that involve training and those that involve reasoning. In the former, the pupil is a passive recipient of habits of mind and action. The mechanism by which they acquire these habits is mimesis, not reasoning. In contrast, learning by reasoning involves considerable mental activity by the pupil who has to work out what to think and do. The very mechanism by which the pupil learns is her own capacity to reason, to things work out for herself.

In this paper I argue that there is no basis for this distinction. I argue that, contrary to the dominant empiricist thinking about such things, learning by reasoning is the only credible form of learning. I start with a brief characterisation of the distinction and an account of why it seems so compelling. In §2 I review the empirical evidence from developmental psychology for a rationalist account of language learning as learning by reasoning. In §§3 and 4 I provide a philosophical argument against the place of training and in favour of a rationalist model of learning by reasoning.     

Training and Learning

Some philosophers of education think that there is a pedagogically informative concept of training that can be gleaned from Wittgenstein's later writings: training as initiation into a form of life. Stickney, in ' Training and Mastery of Techniques in Wittgenstein's Later Philosophy: A response to Michael Luntley' takes me to task for ignoring this concept. In this essay I argue that there is no such concept to be ignored. I start by noting recent developments in Wittgenstein scholarship that raise serious issues about how we should handle the translation of Arbrichtung and arbrichten. I then concentrate on the substantive philosophical issues about the very idea that training can have a pedagogically productive role in education. I show that what work training does is a function of the prior skill set of the trainee. This means that we have to endorse some form of rationalism and acknowledge that the learner can only respond to training if they already possess sufficient mental equipment to generate the appropriate responses.     

Training and Learning

Some philosophers of education think that there is a pedagogically informative concept of training that can be gleaned from Wittgenstein's later writings: training as initiation into a form of life. Stickney, in ‘Training and Mastery of Techniques in Wittgenstein's Later Philosophy: A response to Michael Luntley’takes me to task for ignoring this concept. In this essay I argue that there is no such concept to be ignored. I start by noting recent developments in Wittgenstein scholarship that raise serious issues about how we should handle the translation of Arbrichtung and arbrichten. I then concentrate on the substantive philosophical issues about the very idea that training can have a pedagogically productive role in education. I show that what work training does is a function of the prior skill set of the trainee. This means that we have to endorse some form of rationalism and acknowledge that the learner can only respond to training if they already possess sufficient mental equipment to generate the appropriate responses.     

素质教育与中小学外语教师的自身进修

本文通过阐述素质教育的含义 ,外语教学实施素质教育的必要性 ,中小学外语教师队伍现状及其与素质教育要求的差距 ,强调外语教师必须加强自身进修 ,并指出外语教师加强自身进修的主要方式和途径     

课程改革、教师赋权增能与教师专业学习共同体——上海市四所小学的个案研究

基于对上海地区四所小学的田野调查,考察教师在“赋权增能”政策条件下,如何处理课程改革中所面临的问题,及其所处教师共同体的影响。研究发现：课程改革给教师造成的压力客观上推进了教师发展和教师专业学习共同体的构建;课程改革在赋权增能的同时赋予教师高度问责,造成教师不愿承担赋权,而教师专业学习共同体以群体分责来支持教师的赋权增能;未来课程改革应当寻求赋权、增能和问责的平衡,并推进教师专业学习共同体的建设,从而支持教师真正成为课程改革的“代理人”。     

第二语言学习策略研究的现状与前瞻

20世纪中后期兴起的学习策略的研究是心理科学发展的产物.对学习策略的研究成为第二语言习得研究的一个重要组成部分.本文勾勒了国内外第二语言学习策略研究的发展脉络和现状,详述了中国对外汉语教学界对汉语作为第二语言学习策略的研究,分析了尚存的问题,指出了今后汉语作为第二语言学习策略的研究前景和基本框架.     

Blended Learning for Learner Empowerment: Voices from the Middle East

Blended learning (BL) is still in its infancy in the United Arab Emirates, but is gaining growing attention and acceptance. The particular university under investigation offers its nationally accredited graduate programs with a BL format that makes use of synchronous virtual classrooms, asynchronous self-study, and face-to-face sessions. The current qualitative research study investigates students' perceptions about their experience with the BL model within their relatively conservative cultural context. In addition, the project aimed at gauging their suggestions for course design considerations that would meet their needs as adult learners and enhance their learning experience. Twenty-one graduate students participated in the study, with findings indicating an overall positive perception about the BL experience with a strong positive impact on female empowerment. The most salient themes for successful instructional strategies indicated the importance of student-centered practices, particularly collaborative projects and student-led activities.     

第一语言习得与外语学习的差异--从语言学习者角度的分析认识

从心理语言学角度来看，外语教学之所以复杂，是因为它的一切活动都要作用于学习这个极不稳定的因素上面，学习是外语学习中的内因。因此，本主要从语言学习的角度出发，比较第一语言习得与外语学习的不同，希望对外语学习与教学有所启示。     

Training and Mastery of Techniques in Wittgenstein's Later Philosophy: A response to Michael Luntley

Responding to Michael Luntley's article, ‘Learning, Empowerment and Judgement’, the author shows he cannot successfully make the following three moves: (1) dissolve the analytic distinction between learning by training and learning by reasoning, while advocating the latter; (2) diminish the role of training in Wittgenstein's philosophy, nor attribute to him a rationalist model of learning; and (3) turn to empirical research as a way of solving the philosophical problems he addresses through Wittgenstein. Drawing on José Medina's analysis of the fundamental role of training in Wittgenstein's later philosophy, the paper offers a tour of key passages in the Investigations and other works to develop an understanding of what Wittgenstein meant by ‘mastery of techniques’. In opposition to Luntley's liberal‐individual, or his subject as rational agent, the author explores Wittgenstein's non‐foundationalist, forms of life approach to how we act with agreement. More effort must be given to differentiating Wittgenstein's view from that of the analytic school, which Luntley appears to echo despite his criticism of the analytic divide.     

Learning Chinese characters via mobile technology in a primary school classroom

This paper describes a project, including the design, development, and use of a mobile application (referred to as application hereafter) for learning Chinese as a second language in a bilingual primary school. The application was designed for iPod Touch Apple technology with the purpose to facilitate learning of a fundamental set of 200 Chinese characters. The project was a coordinated effort of experts, including an instructional designer, a software engineer, a Chinese language expert, and classroom teachers to develop an experimental Chinese character learning application for the primary school classroom. This paper reports how the project team explored experiences of teachers and learners in a particular context, developed understanding of teaching and learning needs for Chinese language learning, and how these inform design of the educational application. The final outcomes of the project include a Chinese character learning application and recommendations for design and use of educational applications in Chinese language teaching and other similar contexts.     

母语习得观与语言学习观对英语教学的启示

母语习得与外语学习的过程是怎样的,母语知识在其中起怎样的作用？这个问题已争论了多年,一直没有达成共识。如何根据我国的国情,探索出一种真正有效的基于认知语言观的教学法以适应课改的需要,是当前外语教学的当务之急。本文拟从认知心理学的角度对这个问题作一番探讨。     

小议二语习得中的学习策略与外语教学

学习策略是近年国外应用语言学家广泛研究的课题之一,特别是在成功语言学习者使用策略研究方面取得了一定的成果。主要从成功者学习策略的分类,使用策略的特点、影响因素、策略培训等方面评析这一领域已取得的成果。为适应我国外语教育的特点,我国教育工作者应在此基础上结合具体实际,开展具有中国特色的学习策略研究,进行外语教学改革。     

Training and Mastery of Techniques in Wittgenstein's Later Philosophy: A response to Michael Luntley

Responding to Michael Luntley's article, 'Learning, Empowerment and Judgement', the author shows he cannot successfully make the following three moves: (1) dissolve the analytic distinction between learning by training and learning by reasoning, while advocating the latter; (2) diminish the role of training in Wittgenstein's philosophy, nor attribute to him a rationalist model of learning; and (3) turn to empirical research as a way of solving the philosophical problems he addresses through Wittgenstein. Drawing on José Medina's analysis of the fundamental role of training in Wittgenstein's later philosophy, the paper offers a tour of key passages in the Investigations and other works to develop an understanding of what Wittgenstein meant by 'mastery of techniques'. In opposition to Luntley's liberal-individual, or his subject as rational agent, the author explores Wittgenstein's non-foundationalist, forms of life approach to how we act with agreement. More effort must be given to differentiating Wittgenstein's view from that of the analytic school, which Luntley appears to echo despite his criticism of the analytic divide.     

Cultural Competence Development,Critical Service Learning,and Latino/a Youth Empowerment: A Qualitative Case Study

As universities create service-learning programs, educators are experimenting with pedagogical approaches that enhance learning outcomes while benefiting communities. We present a qualitative case study of a radio-based, service-learning program, grounded in a Freirean foundation and aimed at developing the cultural competence and sense of citizenship of undergraduate students while empowering working-class high school Latino/a students. Undergraduate students benefited the most from the program; they enhanced their cultural competence skills, awareness of social issues, and sense of civic responsibility. Latino/a high school students who stayed in the program for at least a year developed self-confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of self-efficacy.     

Learning English as an L2 in the Global Context: Changing English,Changing Motivation

As the English language has become a global lingua franca today, it is not surprising that changes in attitudes and perceptions towards learning English in the international context have taken place at the same time. In this paper, I critically examine the notion of ‘integrative motivation’ in the literature of second language (L2) learning with respect to the changing role of the English language in the global context. In particular, this paper attempts to re-conceptualise the notion of integrative motivation by considering the results of recent empirical research on L2 motivation. It is argued that the predominant motivation of learning English among most L2 learners is no longer concerned with ‘integration’ in the target native English-speaking culture, but with the construction of a ‘bi-cultural’ or ‘world citizen’ identity, as well as identification with the international community. The paper ends by suggesting new ways of understanding the concept of motivation in L2 learning in today’s global context.     

高等美术院校大学生英语学习风格及学习策略与学习成绩的关系研究

大学生在英语学习过程中处理问题的方法以及影响其学习成效的因素是教学者们的关注的焦点。通过问卷调查和教学研究发现美术院校的学生多偏好于体验型和视觉型的学习风格,但是学习策略使用不多。在他们使用的策略之中元认知策略使用频率最高,社交策略使用频率最小。同时,从数据分析结果看,学习策略的使用受学习者的学习风格的影响,但是学习风格与学习成绩之间没有显著相关。     

第二语言学习策略研究概述

在语言教学研究领域中,语言学习策略这一概念一直备受研究者的广泛关注。不同学习者的学习过程因使用不同的学习策略而导致学习效率以及学习成绩的差异,为了提高教与学的效率,教师应在日常英语教学过程中向学生介绍各种不同的学习策略,提高他们使用学习策略的意识,并逐步将对于学习策略的培训融入到基本的教学中。     

高师体育专业学生语言素质的培养

本通过分析高师体育专业学生加强语言素质教育的重要性和必要性，提出学生语言素质教育的几点建议，以供参考。     

The Critical Discussion of the Second Language Learning in the Classroom in China

Over the past decades,Chinese students have employed various methods with a large amount of time and enormous efforts on learning English.However,the result is still far from satisfaction.Therefore,how to learn English more effectively in the classroom has become a major concern not only for students,but also for teachers and linguists.This paper consists of two sections,and each section has the same three topics,exploring the second language learning issues according to the literature review and my personal English learning context in China.Hopefully,it can help Chinese students and teachers to have a better understanding of some common issues related to the second language learning.     

Self-Determination and Cultural Empowerment: Reader Histories Reveal Learning and Adaptation Strategies

This article explores the issues of cultural transmission and discontinuity, as well as the implications of culturally based assumptions and attitudes and their potential influence in schools. Through interviews based upon questions specifically related to literacy and literacy acquisition conducted with five seventh-grade students and one eighth-grade student who were perceived to have achieved various levels of success or failure in school-related tasks, insights about student learning and adaptation strategies are revealed which may have pedagogical implications for educators. Arguments are made that adjustments in culturally based assumptions and attitudes by members of the community and the school may influence the academic success or failure of our children.