Science Teachers’ Use of Mass Media to Address Socio-Scientific and Sustainability Issues

The currency, relevancy and changing nature of science makes it a natural topic of focus for mass media outlets. Science teachers and students can capitalize on this wealth of scientific information to explore socio-scientific and sustainability issues; however, without a lens on how those media are created and how representations of science are constructed through media, the use of mass media in the science classroom may be risky. Limited research has explored how science teachers naturally use mass media to explore scientific issues in the classroom or how mass media is used to address potential overlaps between socio-scientific-issue based instruction and education for sustainability. This naturalistic study investigated the reported and actual classroom uses of mass media by secondary science teachers’ to explore socio-scientific and sustainability issues as well as the extent to which their instructional approaches did or did not overlap with frameworks for SSI-based instruction, education for sustainability, and media literacy education. The results of this study suggest that secondary science teachers use mass media to explore socio-scientific and sustainability issues, but their use of frameworks aligned with SSI-based, education for sustainability, and media literacy education was limited. This paper provides suggestions for how we, as science educators and researchers, can advance a teaching and learning agenda for encouraging instruction that more fully utilizes the potential of mass media to explore socio-scientific issues in line with perspectives from education for sustainability.     

Philosophy of Science in the Science Teacher Education Curriculum

Summaries

English

The purpose of this article is to promote awareness of a growing body of literature concerned with the relationship between the epistemology of science and school science education, and to stimulate debate concerning the role such epistemological considerations should play in the professional training of science teachers. First of all, a rationale is provided for the inclusion of the epistemology of science and its relationship to school science education as an essential component on the professional training of all science teachers. This is followed by a review of existing resources for use in science teacher education curricula, and suggestions for new resource material. Finally, a possible curriculum for inclusion in science teacher education programmes is presented.     

校园新兴媒体——高校学生工作的助推剂

随着时代的变迁与科技的进步,新兴媒体作为更高效、便捷的人际沟通媒介,被大众广泛接受。高校学生作为接触前沿科技与思想的特殊群体,更易接受新兴媒体,也更易受到新兴媒体的影响。通过分析新兴媒体迎合高校学生的特征,介绍几种目前被大学生广为接受的新兴媒体,并提出对高校新兴媒体的创新,探讨如何利用这些媒体更好地为高校学生工作服务。     

编辑学和出版物学的交融与共生

编辑工作必然要与所承载的某一出版物相联系,因此,在编辑学理论与实践中,对于编辑学体系的拓展,也将与各种媒介所独立属性的学科联系起来．而各出版物与编辑学的联系发展,完全是一个全新而独立的领域,出版学是无法解决或实现交互式沟通的发展平台和技术条件．当前学界和期刊界,对于编辑学与出版物的交融和共生问题尚未引起足够重视,解决这一问题应从编辑工作实际出发,搭建更切实的研究平台并加强这方面的学术交流．     

论地学形象的传播与保护

良好的地球科学形象是重要的学科软实力,塑造、传播和开发地学形象不仅可以提升地学本身的地位、影响和竞争力,且有助于提高大众的地球科学文化素养和防灾减灾意识。应充分利用各种媒体、重大地学事件传播地学形象,增强地学在新媒体的话语权。同时还要注重开发地学形象资源,培育地学形象传播人才,但在媒介发达时代要特别注意保护地学形象免受学术造假和恶意炒作的破坏。     

媒体素材动态集成和同步的实现

高效共享网络教育资源，要求实现对素材资源的灵活管理和重组。利用JSP、SMIL、SQL以及Real Server等技术，可以设计这样一个系统，课件制作者通过系统提供的交互式Web制作平台，动态集成素材资源，实现媒体素材有机智能的同步。系统在一定程度上满足了课件制作者的多变需求，可以便捷地制作出内容丰富的个性化课件。     

Social Media Guidelines for Anatomists

Social Media has changed the way that individuals interact with each other - it has brought considerable benefits, yet also some challenges. Social media in anatomy has enabled anatomists all over the world to engage, interact and form new collaborations that otherwise would not have been possible. In a relatively small discipline where individuals may be working as the only anatomist in an institution, having such a virtual community can be important. Social media is also being used as a means for anatomists to communicate with the current generation of students as well as members of the public. Posting appropriate content is one of the challenges raised by social media use in anatomy. Human cadaveric material is frequently shared on social media and there is divided opinion among anatomists on whether or not such content is appropriate. This article explores the uses and challenges of social media use in the field of anatomy and outlines guidelines on how social media can be used by anatomists globally, while maintaining professional and ethical standards. Creating global guidelines has shown to be difficult due to the differences in international law for the use of human tissue and also the irregularities in acquiring informed consent for capturing and sharing cadaveric images. These nuances may explain why cadaveric images are frequently shared on social media. This article proposes that as standard practice, anatomists obtain informed consent from donors before sharing images of cadaveric material on social media and ensure posts include a statement stating the same.     

Effect of women science career role models on early adolescents' attitudes toward scientists and women in science

In order to change the attitude of early adolescent female and male students toward scientists and women in science, students in the middle school/junior high grades were exposed over a two months' period to women science career role models as part of their science instruction. This treatment positively affected the students' attitude toward scientists and toward women in science. It is suggested that teachers of science in the middle school/junior high should periodically bring community resource people who use science in their careers to the classroom to act as role models and that women should be included among this group so that the attitudes of both male and female students toward scientists and women in science might be improved.     

Influencing Intended Teaching Practice: Exploring pre-service teachers’ perceptions of science teaching resources

Many researchers have identified and expressed concern over the state of science education internationally, but primary teachers face particular obstacles when teaching science due to their poor science background and low confidence with science. Research has suggested that exemplary resources, or units that work, may be an effective way to support primary teachers. This study explores the effect of one such resource on the intentions of pre-service primary teachers to teach science. The resource in question is Primary Connections, a series of learning resources produced by the Australian Academy of Science specifically designed for primary science. Evaluative studies of Primary Connections have indicated its efficacy with practising primary teachers but there is little evidence of its impact upon pre-service teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate how effective these quality teaching resources were in influencing the intentions of primary pre-service teachers to teach science after they graduated. The theory of planned behaviour highlighted the linkage between the intentions of the pre-service teachers to teach science, and their awareness of and experiences with using Primary Connections during their education studies. This enabled key factors to be identified which influenced the intentions of the pre-service teachers to use Primary Connections to teach science after they graduate. The study also provided evidence of how quality science teaching resources can be effectively embedded in a teacher education programme as a means of encouraging and supporting pre-service teachers to teach science.     

Elementary school teachers' beliefs about and perceptions of elementary school science,science reading,science textbooks,and supportive instructional factors

This article is a report of elementary school teachers' beliefs about and uses of text material in science. Survey results from 522 K-8 teachers from 299 schools in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands were analyzed along three dimensions: teacher attitudes toward teaching of reading in science; teacher beliefs and understanding about models of reading, factors influencing science reading and reading skills; and teacher use of various teaching strategies. Results suggest that teachers do not see reading science as different from any other narrative material. And though most agreed to the importance of having students do activities to support and enhance the use of text material, responses suggest that covering topics is still a concern for most elementary teachers.     

A survey of the use of newspapers in science instruction by secondary teachers in Northern Ireland

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent and nature of teachers' use of newspapers in the secondary science classroom. A survey was conducted in 50 schools. Through semi-structured interviews with the heads of their science departments, three broad issues were investigated: the prevalence, pattern and purpose of use, classroom practice and curricular priorities. It was found that a great many teachers use newspapers, in some way, to support science instruction. The majority, however, used the resource incidentally rather than systematically. By far their most common intention was to highlight the link between school science and everyday life. Only a few reported that they used newspapers to develop among their students an aptitude and ability to read and respond critically to science in the media. It is suggested that such findings are significant in the context of current discussion of the school curriculum and 'scientific literacy'.     

A Further Characterization of Empirical Research Related to Learning Outcome Achievement in Remote and Virtual Science Labs

This paper further characterizes recently reviewed literature related to student learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional (hands-on) science labs, as well as factors to consider when evaluating the state and progress of research in this field as a whole. Current research is characterized according to (1) participant nationality and culture, (2) participant education level, (3) participant demography, (4) scientific discipline, and (5) research methodology, which could provide avenues for further research and useful dialog regarding the measurement and interpretation of data related to student learning outcome achievement in, and thus the efficacy of, non-traditional versus traditional science labs. Current research is also characterized by (6) research publication media and (7) availability of non-traditional labs used, which demonstrate some of the obstacles to progress and consensus in this research field.     

湖南媒介环境与长株潭"一体化"宣传策略探析

长、株、潭经济一体化(以下简称“一体化”)的宣传工作涉及到一个如何充分利用湖南媒介资源,最大限度地扩大“一体化”影响,创造良好的内外部环境的问题。根据以往“一体化”宣传工作的成效与不足,应当应用传播学和管理学的基本原理,针对湖南媒介资源的基本状况,探讨大众传播特征的变化趋势,加大“一体化”宣传的工作力度。从资源配置角度研究宣传工作的基本策略。     

Producing Video‐based Resource Material for Teacher Training in Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Science Teacher Training project (ZeSTT) has, since 1979, been running at the Science Education Centre of the University of Zimbabwe, producing learning resource materials for teacher‐trainers in Zimbabwean Colleges of Education. Multi‐media packages, video programmes and printed materials have been produced, not only in science but in an increasing number of other subject areas. The paper describes the evolution of techniques of recording videotaped material of teachers in action during typical lessons in local schools, for editing into complete programmes or as study excerpts.     

‘Grasp of Practice’ as a Reasoning Resource for Inquiry and Nature of Science Understanding

This article articulates how a ‘grasp of practice’ serves as a reasoning resource for inquiry and citizenship abilities associated with nature of science (NOS) understanding. Theoretically, this resource is elaborated through an overlapping concern with ‘practice’ in two literatures, science studies and psychology of learning, bringing attention to two key roles in scientific practice, Critiquers and Constructors of claims. Empirically, this resource is made plausible by the results of an expert-novice study and a classroom study. In the expert-novice study, reactions of scientists and laypeople to science-related claims in the popular media were contrasted, underlining the appropriate ways scientists tend to Critique such claims. In the classroom study, sixth-grade students engaged in a 2-week ramp experiment, experiencing first hand the roles of Critiquers and Constructors of claims, and were subsequently assessed with a novel experimental task. Performances suggest that students had attained a grasp of practice, going well beyond mere execution of methods or procedures. These results challenge a common assumption that declarative knowledge best characterizes learning targets for supporting inquiry and NOS understanding.     

Encouraging IT students to get serious about assignment writing: evaluation of a Web-based initiative

Traditionally, students attending university have received support for their assignment writing within a face-to-face framework. Academic writing support delivered via the Internet needs to be rendered in very subject-specific terms for the resource to be perceived as valuable. This paper reports on a project involving writing support staff and a computer science subject leader to develop and evaluate a Web-based academic skills tutorial. The tutorial sought to provide online learning support for interpreting an information technology (IT) assignment topic, extracting information from sources, and integrating the material into a report with the support of online lexical tools. The evaluation sought to determine whether the students found the resource helpful, if improvements were still required, and what implications there were for integrating the resource with subject teaching. Students perceived most value in those sections of the resource that provided them with examples and models, and least in those that required them to engage in interactive activity.     

民族精神与新闻媒介功能实现

对新闻媒介功能认识的不确定,根植于新闻传播普适性价值观的缺位。新闻传播的精神资源不能局限于某些个人、利益集团,而应该是全民性的、全社会性的。民族精神是新闻传播具有普适性的精神资源。把民族精神作为新闻传播的重要精神资源,有利于对新闻媒介功能的全面认识。民族精神从人群、地理、历史等方面都具有广泛性,为新闻传播功能全方位的认识和实现,开拓了视野和道路。民族精神也是新闻从业人员的精神支柱,保证新闻媒介功能实现。面对西方的文化霸权,除了物质层面的努力之外,更需要弘扬和培育优秀的民族精神和文化,这既是我们的目的,也是对待西方文化霸权的重要工具,更是新闻媒体责无旁贷的社会责任。     

Connecting university science experiences to middle school science teaching

Summary Science teachers naturally rely on their university science experiences as a foundation for teaching middle school science. This foundation consists of knowledge far too complex for the middle level students to comprehend. In order for middle school science teachers to utilize their university science training they must search for ways to adapt their college experiences into appropriate middle school learning experience. The criteria set forth above provide broad-based guidelines for translating university science laboratory experiences into middle school activities. These guidelines are used by preservice teachers in our project as they identify, test, and organize a resource file of hands-on inquiry activities for use in their first year classrooms. It is anticipated that this file will provide a basis for future curriculum development as the teacher becomes more comfortable and more experienced in teaching hands-on science. The presentation of these guidelines is not meant to preclude any other criteria or considerations which a teacher or science department deems important. This is merely one example of how teachers may proceed to utilize their advanced science training as a basis for teaching middle school science.     

我国科技资源优化配置对策探讨

科技资源是科技创造性劳动的物质基础,是直接推动科学技术进步、促进经济发展的战略资源.科技资源的稀缺性与期待效用最大化特征决定科技资源优化配置是各国科技管理和科技政策优先关注的核心问题.文章阐述了科技资源优化配置在知识经济时代的战略意义,并结合我国科技资源配置的现状提出了相关的优化政策.