Experienced Junior-High-School Teachers’ PCK in Light of a Curriculum Change: “The Cell is to be Studied Longitudinally”

In the new science and technology junior-high-school curriculum in Israel, it is recommended that the cell topic be taught “longitudinally in conjunction with other study contents”. This recommendation confers a change in teaching the cell topic and provides an opportunity to form meaningful relationships between biological phenomena at the macro-level and their cellular explanations. Here, we examine junior-high-school science and technology teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) with regard to the cell topic and the formation of macro-micro relations, ten years following the publication of the change in the curriculum. Teachers in this study participated in three focus groups (n = 59) and one workshop (n = 12). In addition, six experienced teachers were interviewed in the course of this study. Specific tools were developed to capture the teachers’ PCK. We found that the teachers had changed their way of teaching the cell topic only superficially: they did not undergo any deep change. Despite the importance the teachers placed on teaching and learning the cell topic, their concerns about their students’ comprehension difficulties reduced the time they devoted to teaching the topic in class. The teachers were also found to have no PCK capacity to integrate biological phenomena at the macro-level with their cellular explanations. In addition, a duality was identified among the teachers with regards to relating macro- and micro-levels in biology and in chemistry.     

Be sure to win the“war”

Today there is a kind of strong and dangerous disease called SARS. It is different from the common pneumonia. Many people have got it and some of them have died. Now more and more people are worried about it.How to prevent the disease?First we must have good and healthy living habits. Everyone should keep     

How to Create “Thriller” PowerPoints? in the Classroom!

PowerPoint^? presentations in academia have a reputation for being less than engaging in this era of learner-centered teaching. The Net Generation also presents a formidable challenge to using PowerPoint^?. Although the research on the basic elements is rather sparse, the multimedia elements of movement, music, and videos have a stronger evidence base and have the potential to increase learning. That research will be briefly reviewed. Since the use of multimedia as instructional tools has been largely ignored by the major sources on PowerPoint^?, this article presents 30 specific practical applications enabling faculty members to improve the effectiveness of their PowerPoint^? presentations and to grab and maintain students’ attention and foster deep learning.     

The New Curriculum for the Teaching of English——With Which Dialectical Knowledge in Education Is Raised

The paper ,with a theory of Action Research and especially dialectical knowledge, gives a brief analysis and disussion of the New English Standard Syllabus(aim called the New Curriculum) and also points out the difference between the New Curriculum and the traditional syllabus of the basic English course. It is also theoretically and practically designed with some excellent suggestions on how to study the New Curriculum and make good use of English teaching.     

To Be Is to Create—Essence of Life in the First 17 Sonnets of Shakespeare

It is generally acknowledged that the first 17 sonnets of Shakespeare is a set of poems to urge a young man to get married and have a baby so as to immortalize his beauty.However,these sonnets mirror Shakespeare’s mediations on life and death.Man is by nature mortal being,and time is the enemy of life.To endure beauty long,man can fight against time by means of child-bearing and poetic creation.The first 17 sonnets address the theme:the essence of life is to create.     

Planning to Unmask Potential Through Responsive Curriculum: The “Famous Five” Exercise

Barriers to the identification of gifted students from traditionally underserved groups have been well documented. Although contemporary definitions of giftedness give heed to both performance and potential, the literature provides little concrete direction for how “potential” can be recognized, particularly in underperforming students who have lacked access to the kind of high-quality, personally relevant, and appropriately challenging curriculum likely to bring their talents to the fore. It is argued that high-quality curriculum can serve as an effective catalyst for the emergence of diverse talent but that such an objective must be a deliberate focus of curriculum planning. The “Famous Five” exercise presented in this article is a heuristic procedure that has been used with experienced educators and is designed to stimulate the thinking of curriculum developers as they design opportunities for unmasking diverse gifted potential.     

“Everyone Has to Find Themselves in the Story”: Exploring Minority Group Representation in the Citizenship Curriculum in Northern Ireland and Israel

ABSTRACT

This article explores understandings of minority group representation in citizenship education in Northern Ireland and Israel, from the point of view of students, teachers, and policy makers. It is set against the background of the minority–majority group dichotomy within societies divided along ethnonational lines, and the challenge of delivering a common citizenship curriculum to a diverse group in such a context. Starting with interpretations of international law that state that education should be culturally appropriate and flexible to the needs of a particular community, the article considers several interrelated ideas: proportional representation of the minority in educational governance, students being able to “find themselves in the story” of the curriculum, and the debate over a common versus a differentiated curriculum. Interjurisdiction comparisons allow for exploration of varied understandings of citizenship education as socialization, and of potential responses to the challenge of balancing unity and diversity in a divided or multicultural society.     

How to Bridge the Gap? Teacher Educators’ Approaches to the Teaching of the Biblical “Other” in Kindergarten

This article summarizes a study of the viewpoints of Bible lecturers in the Kindergarten Education Department while teaching content related to the biblical “other.” The study, by two researchers themselves part of the study population, was conducted according to the qualitative approach and included interviews with participants from a State Education and a State-Religious college. The findings highlight the different points of origin vis-à-vis Bible studies and the search for the connection between the “other” of the Bible, the students’ own world and later, that of the children while indicating discrepancies between declared objectives and the characteristics of the students.     

Educating for the “Real World”: The Hidden Curriculum of Community Service-Learning

This study draws on interviews with community supervisors partnered with high school students and presents their perspectives on service-learning and youth. The results show that there was a hidden curriculum being played out at community sites that was in part facilitated by community agency supervisors who actively engaged in mediating, mentoring, and structuring the service-learning experiences of students. Agency supervisors' decisions about the curricular experiences of students had a significant impact on the social justice aims and intentions of the projects designed by the teachers. Consequently, it is crucial for schools and teachers to take into consideration the community supervisors' perspectives and interpretations of social justice and invite them into a collaborative partnership throughout the process of structuring service-learning experiences.     

Defending the “Argentine Way of Life”. The State and School Textbooks in Argentina (1884‐1984)

The central hypothesis of this article is that the way in which school textbooks have hen regulated has not been a constant one, but has changed according to the “reason” prevailing between three main actors related to education: the corporation of educators, the State and last, the market. Besides, the historical study of schoolbook regulations proves that these variations do not seem to be directly linked to the political nature of the governments (democratic or resulting from a coup d'etat) but to the logic of such actors, and in a clear pursue one goal: argentine children should be educated according to the proper patterns of argentine nationality and, therefore, school textbooks were to preserve the “argentine way of life”.     

How Early Is Too Early to Begin Life Career Planning? The Importance of the Elementary School Years

The relationship of early and middle childhood experiences to life career planning is discussed. Life career planning is presented as a life skill beginning in infancy. The authors present five premises on which they have based their discussion: Life career development is a life-long, spiraling process; Life career planning includes a series of sub-skills; Career awareness and career exploration form the foundation for effective life career planning; Idiosyncratic factors influence the decision-making of each person; and Child development theory (e.g., Erikson, Piaget and Vygotsky) and career development theory (e.g., Super and Gottfredson) are interrelated. Implications for practice are included.     

“New Jews” in an Old‐New Land: Images in American Jewish Textbooks Prior to 1948

During 1982 and 1983 a spate of studies and commissioned reports about education in America were published, examined and critiqued by both public and non-public sectors of the educational community in an effort to determine their potential impact on educational reform in the United States.     

The “Write” Stuff: Simple Techniques Designed to Teach Students How to Avoid Plagiarism

Presently, plagiarism is a serious problem in academics. Research has shown that the number of students who commit some form of plagiarism has increased in recent years. Studies have also shown that students commit plagiarism for a variety of reasons, including ignorance about what constitutes plagiarism, waiting until the last minute to complete an assignment, and a desire to get good grades. Regardless of the reason, students who commit plagiarism face a variety of sanctions ranging from a “slap on the wrist” to expulsion from school. Because of the potential long‐term ramifications of committing plagiarism, it is essential that educators understand why students commit plagiarism and learn ways to teach students how to avoid it. This paper presents a workshop designed to teach students how to avoid committing it and offers a variety of ways in which this material can be incorporated into a program’s existing curriculum.     

On the Pilgrim to “A Room of One’s Own” in The Hours

In A Room of One’s Own,Virginia Woolf argued her famous proposition that a woman needed to have a room of her own to achieve literary autonomy,and laid the foundation for present-day feminist criticism.Yet the author believes that economic independent does not foster women’s identity with certainty.In this thesis,the author explores the crucial place of spiritual and economic independence in building up women’s autonomy through analyzing Michael Cunningham Pulitzerwinning work The Hours,which he draws inventively on the life of Virginia Woolf and her work Mrs.Dalloway.     

The grand emotion of “Ode to the west wind”

The imagine of Shelley's Ode to the west wind vividly represent manly beauty. Reading this poem, we feel a vast boundless and grand emotional world.     

The Use of Defamiliarization in “The Old Man and the Sea”

Defamiliarization is an important theory of the Russian formalism.Hemingway might not have been influenced by formalism,but defamiliarization assumes an integral part of his creation.His use of defamiliarization makes The Old Man and the Sea an epoch-making masterpiece.The paper is an attempt to explore the artistic charm of the novel by analyzing Hemingway's use of this artistic technique.     

“This Is How You Hetero:” Sexual Minorities in Heteronormative Sex Education

The efficacy of sex education has been questioned, as students participate in high rates of unsafe sex after completion. Without exploring various sexual minority (SM) identities (e.g., gay, lesbian, and bisexual) and forms of sex, sex education may be especially unhelpful for SMs by perpetuating the heteronormative (i.e., assuming heterosexuality is normal) environment they typically experience. In the present qualitative study, semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 SMs regarding their experiences with sex education using a grounded theory approach. Participants described sex education as being heteronormative and exclusive of their identities, making them feel invisible, sexually unprepared, and shameful. Sex education also reportedly contributed to sexual hesitance, sexual violence, and risky sexual behaviors. Participants endorsed histories of depression, anxiety, and suicidality, often associated with their identity. To become more informed and sexually prepared, they sought information through conversations with others, online searching, college courses, and trial and error sexual experiences. Participants also advocated for inclusive sex education, which would incorporate all identities and associated safe sex practices. They concluded that inclusivity in curricula could lead to various improved outcomes for SMs, such as safe sex, a sense of community, identity confidence, healthy relationships, and resilience.     

“Compulsory Schooling” Despite the Law: How Education Policy Underpins the Widespread Ignorance of the Right to Home Educate in France

ABSTRACT

Everyone in France takes for granted the existence of compulsory school attendance (“école obligatoire”) while home education remains very exceptional. Yet school attendance is not, and has never been, legally compulsory in France. How can one explain the fact that the right to home educate is little known and practiced? This article researches how public policies may foster this widespread ignorance. Drawing mainly on archival records of French Parliament debates about compulsory instruction in 1882, 1936, and 1998, it depicts various ways for lawmakers to contribute to this ignorance.