Analogical Reasoning in the Classroom: Insights From Cognitive Science

Applying knowledge from one context to another is a notoriously difficult problem, both for children and adults, but lies at the heart of educational endeavors. Analogical reasoning is a cognitive underpinning of the ability to notice and draw similarities across contexts. Reasoning by analogy is especially challenging for students, who must transfer in the context‐rich and often high‐pressure settings of classrooms. In this brief article, we explore how best to facilitate children's analogical reasoning, with the aim of providing practical suggestions for classroom instruction. We first discuss what is known about the development and neurological underpinnings of analogical reasoning, and then review research directly relevant to supporting analogical reasoning in classroom contexts. We conclude with concrete suggestions for educators that may foster their students' spontaneous analogical reasoning and thereby enhance scholastic achievement.     

From Boston to Brixton: An Autoethnographic Account of Schooling from Jamaica to the UK

The purpose of this paper is to explore some experiences of early Caribbean migrants, while offering comparisons between two similar school systems, namely England and Jamaica. The paper employs the autoethnographical method (auto/ethno/graphy), which is a study of self in context. Using the tool of memory, the autobiographical investigation of one set of migrant experiences confirms the commonality of educational systems and underscores the efficiency of colonial administration in managing the same lack of opportunities in two settings. The individual account of schooling in England revealed the impact and influence of family and the beginning of the racist practices that eventually became entrenched. However, the account also revealed the unplanned and casual opportunities that did arise for a child to navigate her way through the system. As the discriminatory practices hardened with time and legislation, there was increased alienation and the search by younger migrants for a better way of belonging through ‘home’ and community. The paper obliquely searches for the common grounds and routes shared by later migrants and descendants of migrants. The final aim of the paper has been to remind teachers of the wider possibilities for narratives in classroom encounters.     

Intervention Provided to Linguistically Diverse Middle School Students with Severe Reading Difficulties

This study investigated the effectiveness of a multicomponent reading intervention implemented with middle school students with severe reading difficulties, all of whom had received remedial and/or special education for several years with minimal response to intervention. Participants were 38 students in grades 6-8 who had severe deficits in word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Most were Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) with identified disabilities. Nearly all demonstrated severely limited oral vocabularies in English and, for ELLs, in both English and Spanish. Students were randomly assigned to receive the research intervention (n = 20) or typical instruction provided in their school's remedial reading or special education classes (n = 18). Students in the treatment group received daily explicit and systematic small-group intervention for 40 minutes over 13 weeks, consisting of a modified version of a phonics-based remedial program augmented with English as a Second Language practices and instruction in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension strategies. Results indicated that treatment students did not demonstrate significantly higher outcomes in word recognition, comprehension, or fluency than students who received the school's typical instruction and that neither group demonstrated significant growth over the course of the study. Significant correlations were found between scores on teachers' ratings of students' social skills and problem behaviors and posttest decoding and spelling scores, and between English oral vocabulary scores and scores in word identification and comprehension. The researchers hypothesize that middle school students with the most severe reading difficulties, particularly those who are ELLs and those with limited oral vocabularies, may require intervention of considerably greater intensity than that provided in this study. Further research directly addressing features of effective remediation for these students is needed.     

Book Reviews

In Korea, early childhood education is considered to be education before elementary school. The term “kindergarten” is applied to a three year period of early childhood education, for 3–5-year-olds. The enrollment rate for five-year-olds reached 44.3% in 1994 (up from 7.3% in 1980)*. However, the enrollment rate for 3– and 4– year-olds is still relatively low (18.9%).     

为植物鉴定和学习科学建立词表

北卡罗林纳大学植物语言研究课题组（University of Noah Carolina Plant Language Team，UPLanT）根据学生和一般公众学习植物科学知识的特点，提出了建立植物学语言工具，为学生及一般公众充分利用网络上的植物科学信息提供方便．本文探讨了词表的含义，辨别植物的关键，植物分类表以及用于植物鉴别的描述性词汇。文中还介绍了U-PLanT的研究开发活动和当前研究方向，本课题组开发了一系列词表工具，包括技术性的植物词汇、学生植物学字典、植物描述概念表、植物学辞典以及UNC-OpenKey植物词汇。该文的一个重要内容是介绍了U-PLanT开发植物学词表的做法，具体包括（1）确定现有的词表；（2）评价它们的可用性及是否经济；（3）修改；（4）改造现有词表使之适用于检索环境；（5）实施；（6）测试评估；（7）再修改等7个步骤。这个项目主要是为了缩小学生和科学家之间词汇上的差别，帮助学生更好地利用数字化科学教育资源。