Learners＇ and teachers＇ conceptions and dispositions of mathematics from a Middle Eastern perspective

The paper discusses an on-going research project that studies students＇ and teachers＇ conceptions and dispositions of mathematics. Conceptions are the views that students hold on a subject, and what they believe is required in learning and doing the subject. Dispositions are the beliefs or tendencies to exhibit a frequent, conscious and voluntary behavior directed towards learning a subject. The participants are high school students, higher education students and mathematics teachers. The study utilizes self-reporting tools as well as focus groups and interviews in a three-stage research model. This is a work on progress. Results to date are briefly discussed.     

Parents＇ views on preschool care and education in local community

In this text, the authors are analyzing preschool care and education in local community. They are focusing on the problem of information transfer between the kindergarten, parents and local community, as well as the model of relationship participation. Cooperation between parents, kindergarten and local community is an important element in the preschool institution quality, because it changes inner relationships, climate and culture. Expectations about cooperation in some authors＇ views （Resman, 1992; Schleicher, 1989; Coleman, 1998; Ryan, 1995） depend on tradition, objectives, social context, legal framework and situational demands. The research data show that Slovene kindergartens have more consumer-like relationships with parents instead of partnership. Kindergartens are clear about important information concerning their pedagogical work and organization, but they do not include parents in making decisions about the developing and executing of programs. 92.3% of parents think that the information they receive is clear, understandable only 89.6% think they are frequent. More then half of the interviewed parents frequently or always participate in kindergarten life and work, only about 43% believe that they can co-influence the development or realization of the programme. Parents also think that the local community is not giving them enough information about preschool care problems, because only 10.2% are included in solving current preschool care problems in their municipality.     

Inclusive education： Proclamations or reality （primary school teachers＇ view）

This paper deals with 2 focal points of inclusive education, which is the integral segment of the current education reform in the Bosnia and Herzegovina： its position in various proclamations and in primary school teachers＇ reality, i.e., legislative aspects vs. everyday situation in primary schools. The survey research was carried out through the 5-level Liken scale, on the sample of 105 primary school teachers working in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton （specific for its education reform implementation）. The aim was to examine the attitudes of the direct implementators of the education reform and the inclusive education （2003-2009）--primary school teachers, with particular reference to： teachers＇ acquaintance with inclusive education requirements; their involvement in its designing, planning and organization; relevant professional education; school preparedness for inclusive education; level of partnership with relevant subjects; and evaluation of the inclusive education implementation. The results obtained have indicated exactly the lack of the mentioned as the main issues of the implementation of inclusive education within compulsory primary schools in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. Therefore, this paper gives a kind of guidelines for the improvement of the inclusive education, derived directly from the teachers＇ everyday experiences, problems, proposals, notes and suggestions.     

A Sociological Interpretation of the Formation of Teacher＇s Education Idea

教师教育观念作为教师个体成长的“伴生物”,是教师文化的核心构成元素,具有稳定性和可塑性。依据结构功能理论,教师身处和谐社会体系之中,其行为不可避免地受到体系结构的规约,教师教育观念是在角色扮演过程中逐渐形成的,来自学校或其他专业团体的外部支持对教师教育观念的形成具有重要作用。社会冲突理论则认为,教师作为教育实践活动的主体,其教育观念的形成是教师进行主动社会建构的结果,教师应该担负起建构个人教育观念的主要责任。而符号互动理论则强调,个体不能无视和脱离社会结构与情境的影响,教师教育观念的形成过程就是教师在特定的社会环境中,不断地与他人互动、对话、沟通的动态发展历程。     

Analysis of the dynamics of the sharing knowledge between cooperating teacher and teacher-in-training： The partners＇ respective roles

Collaboration is becoming increasingly important in the realm of education （Novoa, 2004）. For instance, as soon as training is undertaken, the future teacher must develop an ability to cooperate in a pedagogical context. However, in order to learn to make a relevant contribution to a teaching team＇s undertakings and to provide innovative suggestions in pedagogical matters （Gouvernement du Quebec, 2001）, the student teacher needs solid backing from the cooperating teacher. A student teacher＇s willingness to reflect on and to question his own teaching practices will create a much more promising learning context （Portelance ＆ Durand, 2006）. Reciprocally, the cooperating teacher will make a positive contribution to the student teacher by accepting that his positions be questioned and even altered （Johnston, Wetherill ＆ Greenebaum, 2002）. It is the dynamics of sharing of knowledge and know-how in this partnership that retains our interest. From 2004 to 2007, the researchers carried out a study of the subject by examining four practicum sessions at high school level in a number of Quebec schools. To gather data, the researchers used written questionnaires, individual interviews, as well as recordings of conversations between student teachers and their cooperating teachers. These conversations pertain to the conception and to the execution, by the student teacher, of teaching-learning situations. These dialogues were integrally transcribed and processed by N＇vivo, software designed to analyze qualitative data. the researchers present a typology of the respective roles taken on by the two partners in their discussions. The cooperating teacher reveals himself to be an advisor, a transmitter of information and a teacher. The student teacher also takes on the role of transmitter of information, as well as that of reflective practitioner, among others, the researchers observed that the conversations are usually carried out in an egalitarian spirit and, in some cases, give rise to co-construction of practical knowledge.     

The study of teachers＇ task values and self-efficacy on their commitment and effectiveness for technology-instruction integration

The city of Taipei has been considered as a leading role of information technology education in Taiwan. However, many questions have been waited to be answered. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current situations and problems of primary school teachers＇ technology-instruction integration. By implementing the approach of cognitive motivators and the human performance technology （HPT） theory, this study also investigated the relationships among teachers＇ cognitive motivators （self-efficacy and task values） and their commitment and effort on technology-instruction integration. The researchers delivered 2,952 questionnaires via Internet, e-mail and airmail in January 2008. Finally, 1,549 questionnaires replied back and turned out to be ok. The findings were described as below. The situation of＂high-tech schools, low-access technology＂ also happened in Taipei primary schools. The time teachers devote to use technology into instruction is about 1-3 hour（s） per week and the level of technology implementation to use was low. Besides, teachers＇ self-efficacy and task values have impact on their commitment and effort on technology-instruction integration. Teachers＇ age and the length of teaching presented opposite correlations with their commitment and effort on technology-instruction integration. Teachers have huge difficulty on comprehending and designing computer-animation related multimedia materials to help students clear their abstract learning concept to concrete. In the future, they hope to take more workshops related with multimedia design principles, how to integrate technology with learning areas, and other multimedia related theories.     

University teachers＇ approaches to teaching and their pedagogical use of ICTs： A comparative case study of Finland,Japan and India

The purpose of this study was to explore what salient characteristics can be found in some university teachers＇ approaches to teaching in Finland, Japan and India, and in what ways university teachers in Finland, India and Japan use ICTs （information and communication technologies） in their own teaching. Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate what ICT applications these same teachers use in their teaching. The data were collected via an electronic survey and interviews. The participants （N=21） were university teachers from Finland （N=8）, Japan （N=I0） and India （N=3）. Their approaches to teaching were explored by applying the ATI （approaches to teaching inventory） and its modified version focusing on the use of ICTs in teaching. The study reported in this paper was a pilot study, thus the results are based on the limited number of respondents. The ATI and ATI ICT subscales and ICT inventory applied in this study have been confirmed to be valid. The university teachers in Japan and Finland differed in their approaches to teaching： The Finnish teachers scored higher on the CCSF （conceptual change orientated, student-focused） approach to teaching than the Japanese teachers, while the Japanese teachers scored higher on the ITTF （information transmitting, teacher-focused） approach to teaching. Two Indian teachers were classified as having a teacher-focused approach to teaching, while the third was classified as having a student-focused approach to teaching. The teachers＇ differences in their use of ICTs related more to their disciplinary status than to their cultural background.     

An approach to develop physics student teachers＇ skills of using instructional technology

It is very important to develop student teachers＇ skills and knowledge during the pre-service teacher education process. In this study, the effectiveness of the approach in which student teachers＇ gained skills of developing and using TGMs （teacher-guided materials） based on integration of technology on physics education in STMC-Ⅱ （Special Teaching Methods Course-Ⅱ） for pre-service physics teachers was evaluated. The study was conducted with 33 physics student teachers in KTU （Karadeniz Technical University）. Student teachers were required to develop and present TGMs, which were based on principles of special teaching approaches and techniques and integration of technology through instruction. The data of the study were gained from semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 student teachers, observations of the lessons conducted by each student teacher and document analysis of the student teachers＇ diaries collected during the term. The student teachers stated that STMC-11 was a very helpful experience to gain teaching skills. It is believed that all these activities, which are designed and performed in the classroom by student teachers during STMC-Ⅱ course, will not only prepare them for their teaching but also help them gain basic experiences that they will need in their future career. At the end of the process, it is concluded that all the student teachers gained nearly the whole defined aims--skills and knowledge of the STMC-Ⅱ. The implementation process should be organized very well to have advance of gaining many skills together. Key words： physics student teacher; STMC-Ⅱ; the skills of developing TGMs and integration of technology     

躬行践履：教育研究者的社会责任

教育研究者的社会责任可以划分为不同的层次,其中躬行实践、引领教育改革是基本的社会责任,但近年来,我国的教育研究者多喜好纯理论的研究,对实践的关注不够,导致大量的研究成果被束之高阁,不能真正运用于中国的教育实践,难以推动中国教育的改革与发展。     

Chinese feminist epistemology： Studies of Chinese mothers＇ experiences in immigration and education

This paper examines theoretical frameworks with which to study newly-immigrated mothers from China and calls for the need to make Chinese mothers become knowers and agents of knowledge. Although there are black and Chicana feminist epistemologies, currently there is no comparable discourse in the study of Chinese feminist epistemology, particularly on newly-immigrated Chinese mothers in the USA. By examining Chinese mothers＇ experiences immigrating to the United States and educating their children in the transnational context, the paper agrees that both endarkened feminist epistemology and transnational feminism cannot fully interpret and address newly-immigrated Chinese mothers＇ experiences. Drawing the research data directly from Chinese mothers, the paper describes different challenges Chinese mothers faced in immigrating and their children＇s education due to various factors, such as language, historical and cultural roots, to highlight Chinese mothers＇ various experiences in immigration and their children＇s education in the transnational context.     

Higher education in Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan after 9/11： Problems and prospects

The troubled state of affairs in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas （FATA） of Pakistan portends serious repercussions and grave consequences, destined to affect education particularly higher education in the entire tribal belt. Ironically, no extensive study has been conducted, to investigate those dimensions of FATA higher education which have been adversely affected in the aftermath of 9/11. This exploratory study examines those areas which have been badly affected as a result of current turmoil. In fact, the higher education in FATA has its own peculiar dynamics. Inherently, the entire tribal region has very few well-maintained and properly equipped colleges. Lack of adequate educational facilities, multiplied poor security environment has aggravated the entire situation. Law and order situation in the region has undermined the already dilapidated monitoring mechanism of education department. This state of affairs provides breeding ground for extremist propensities and radical tendencies. In reality, very little attention has been devoted to reform the education system in tribal areas. The whole set up needs to be rehabilitated by taking recourse due to the proactive role of international community. The paper concludes with recommendations for policy makers besides offering new avenues for further research.     

On the policy structure and orientation of governing the school choice problem in China＇s basic education

The paper analyzes the nature of the basic education, and points out that the scarcity, disparity and exclusiveness to a certain degree form the inner reasons of school choice in China. In review of the policy evolution of governing the school choice problems, and analyzing the policy framework of the current stage, the paper holds that expanding public expenditure is the basis of providing adequate, fair and quality compulsory education and high school education, and the role of social forces should be brought into full play so as to promote the diverse ways of delivering educational services. In reality, the significant institutional guarantee to govern the problem of school choice in China is to transform the government function and build the government more public service oriented, implement the government accountability system and build transparent public debate sphere.     

论教师个人教育观念与社会倡导教育理论的关系

教师个人教育观念和社会倡导教育理论之间有着显著的区别,但也有着密切的联系。其区别主要体现在二者的理论特征、表现形式、存在意义、形成过程与机制、对教育实践的影响作用等方面;其联系则体现为二者之间可以相互转化、相互补充与相互促进。正确认识教师个人教育观念和社会倡导教育理论之间的关系,对于构建“社会倡导教育理论——教育观念——教学实践”之间的良性互动具有重要意义。     

反思型教师：教师发展的理想之境

反思型教师是以先进的教育理论及其指导下的教育实践为依据,自觉地分析教育情境,认真调节教育思想与行为,以不断获得自我发展的教师。教师借助对自身教育观念及教学实践活动反思这一持续动态的过程,使自己的教育教学观念更为科学,教学实践更符合教育规律性,从而不断提升自己的专业水平。     

Teachers＇ Teaching Development： Cultural Construction the Core and Requirement of Teaching in Universities and Colleges

教学是高校的首要任务,大学文化建设的核心是教学文化建设,教学文化建设的核心是促进教师教学发展,而教师教学发展的核心是体系化建设。转变教学评价、建设教学团队、增强服务、引领专业发展是教学文化建设的几个主要方面。