Keyword: Didactics in Europe

Despite seeing great diversity in the European didactic landscape, the author searches for ground that is common to this diversity. He looks back to the ??Pampaedia?? of the founding father of didactics, Jan Amos Comenius, and attempts a constructive new start with the so-called didactic triangle in order to satisfy the scientific quest for certainty and security. Yet neither approach is convincing. The author therefore searches for elements that can be used in the construction of a future systematic approach by taking Gérard Sensevy??s Joint Action Theory in Didactics as an example. Application of this theory to the analysis and evaluation of four national reports on didactics, i.e. on Sweden, the UK, Spain, and Russia, runs into difficulties, although the reports yield interesting information for the delineation of comparative didactics. The Joint Action Theory is compared with the dialectical didactic theory of Lothar Klingberg, opening up further perspectives for comparative didactics in Europe. The four national reports, the systematic didactics of Sensevy and the example of dialectical analysis help identify the common ground for the future of European didactics.     

The summer learning effect in writing in New Zealand

Reading and Writing - The summer learning effect has been identified as a major barrier in creating equitable outcomes in the United States, especially in reading and mathematics. Less is known...     

The Correspondence of Charles Darwin as a Tool for Reflecting on Nature of Science

Science & Education - This study took place in an introductory science inquiry course for preservice elementary school teachers as a supplement to lessons on critical thinking. The...     

A Triangulated Approach to the Modelling of Learning Outcomes in First Year Economics

Initial insights derived from modelling aspects of learning outcomes in the first year study of economics are presented. Of particular interest are three forms of entering students' prior knowledge: (a) subject-specific prior knowledge; (b) conceptions of learning, and (c) learning history. Part 1 compares the analyses of variance of inventory responses of the 1998 first year cohorts of the Universities of Adelaide and South Australia. Results across the two universities are consistent in confirming the significant effects of having studied economics at school, having English as a second language, and holding economic misconceptions, on (end of semester one) learning outcomes. Part 2 models learning outcomes using three approaches: (a) a single dimension of variation (selected from a more complex common factor model) which is then used to inform; (b) a k-means cluster analysis; and (c) a non-linear regression analysis. This "triangulation" of approaches produces different but complementary insights into the underlying relationships being modelled and improves our understanding of the learning engagement processes of entering first year economics students.     

Assessment of answers to questions about a text and knowledge of cognitive processes

This study examines to what extent assessment of text comprehension involves knowledge of the properties of human cognition (theory of mind) and the social context of assessment. The subjects (N=332) were asked to read a text and then assess eight answers to questions about this text. The independent variables were the quality of the answers to requests for paraphrases, the quality of answers to direct questions about the meaning of the text, the order of the paragraphs in the text and the human vs. artificial source attributed to the answers. Results show that answers to requests for paraphrases were thought to be better when the source was artificial rather than human. Inversely, answers to direct questions about the meaning of the text were thought to be better when their source was human. The assessment of answers attributed to a human source were differentiated by a greater integration of contiguous assessments (contrast effect between contiguous assessments). This was noted more particularly for a person than for a machine, poor paraphrasing being followed by a better assessment of answers to questions about the meaning of the text. The assessment of human understanding of a text is hypothesised to be guided by an expectation of answer coherency and a wider and more structured knowledge than the assessment of artificial answers.     

A framework for working with university teachers to create and embed ‘Integrated Threshold Concept Knowledge’ (ITCK) in their practice

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a framework to help educational developers navigate the now vast literature on threshold concepts, so that they may effectively support university teachers in their work to embed threshold concept knowledge into courses and programs. This research- and practice-informed framework consists of seven principles and seven clusters of activities. It includes an ‘actionable literature review’ – a distillation and synthesis of threshold concept-related knowledge that can be acted upon and adapted in a variety of settings by educational developers and teachers.     

Effect of request type and situational features on negative politeness in requests

Politeness Theory (Brown & Levinson, 1987) implies that the negative politeness in requests should increase with the degree of threat to the hearer's negative face. The present study asked whether this effect depends on the type of request being made. Participants produced either borrow requests or stop action requests in situations that involved either a high threat or low threat to the hearer's face. As hypothesized, greater face threat produced more negative politeness (apologies and promises) in borrow requests but not in stop action requests.     

Popular Illustration

Susan E. Meyer's America's Great Illustrators (New York: Harry Abrams, 1978—$35.00)

Donald Walton's A Rockwell Portrait: An Intimate Biography (Kansas City: Sheed, Andrews & McMeel, 1978—$12.95)

William Hillcourt's Norman Rockwell's World of Scouting (New York: Harry Abrams, 1977—$17.95)

Leonard S. Marcus' The American Store Window (New York: Whitney Library of Design/ Watson-Guptill, 1978—$25.00)

J.C. Cooper's An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols (New York: Thames and Hudson, 1978— $14.95)

Cathy Guisewite's The Cathy Chronicles (Kansas City: Sheed, Andrews & McMeel, 1978—$12.95/7.95)

Frank Lohan's Pen and Ink Techniques (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1978—$5.95)

Allen Hurlburt's The Grid: A Modular System for the Design and Production of Newspapers, Magazines, and Books (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1978—$16.95)

Edward Booth-Clibborn, ed. European Illustration 78/79 (New York: Hastings House, 1978— $47.50)

Ken Kesey's Sorcercers: A Collection of Fantasy Art (New York: Ballantine, 1978—$7.95, paper)

Rock Art: The Golden Age of Record Album Covers (New York: Ballantine, 1977—$8.95, paper)

David Sandison's Rockvisions: The Art of David Oxtoby (New York: Dutton, 1978—$8.95, paper)

Byron Preiss, ed. The Illustrated Roger Zelazny (New York: Baronet Publishing Co., 1978—$8.95, paper)

Ian Summers, ed. Tomorrow and Beyond: Masterpieces of Science Fiction Art (New York: Workman Publishing Co., 1978—$19.95/9.95)

Jose Pierre's An Illustrated Dictionary of Pop Art (London: Eyre Methuen/Woodbury, N.Y.: Barron's Educational Series, 1977—$3.95, paper)

Gene Baro's Graphicstudio U.S.F.: An Experiment in Art and Education (Brooklyn, N.Y.: Brooklyn Museum, 1978—price not given, paper)

Joni K. Miller & Lowry Thompson's The Rubber Stamp Album (New York: Workman Publishing Co., 1978—$12.50/6.95)     

Literary and Film Interests in Assisted-Living Residences: A Midwestern Study

This study discusses literary and film interests among library patrons in assisted-living residences in a small-town Midwestern context. The importance of library services for seniors is addressed. Popular genres and literary themes are discussed, and the concepts of “relational librarianship” and senior services librarian are advocated. This article attempts to identify popular literary and film genres among seniors living in care facilities for the purpose of enhancing library services for senior citizens.     

Ronald Reagan and Humor: A politician's velvet weapon

The use of humor was an important aspect of Ronald Reagan's rhetorical appeal. Three major theories of humor have been suggested in the development of the literature: the relief theory, involving emotional release of tension; the incongruity theory, where the cognitive functioning reacts to unexpected input; and the superiority theory, which holds that humor results from feeling superior to others, who may be considered disobedient or somehow “wrong.” The application of the theories to Reagan's humor shows how he used humor to criticize authority without being perceived as too harsh or negative, as well as to promote positive feelings from his audiences.