What Lies between the Religious and the Secular?: Education beyond the Human

The current age is characterised by many as secular, and a source of such a characterisation can be found in the Nietzschean claim that thoughts about there being some ultimate reality have to be jettisoned, and human existence and the world need to be embraced as they are. That claim is renewed by some secular thinkers who insist that education has to be reconceived in ways congenial to the new age. It is argued that central to their logic is the dichotomy between the religious and the secular or the otherworldly and the earthly, and that this dichotomy is simplistic as well as problematic. As an alternative to the ‘two worlds’ view, the ‘two aspects’ view is suggested, with an interpretation of reality that the noumenon––the non‐human––has to be taken in the negative sense. Against secularising the domain of education, it is indicated that there still remains a place for education to occupy between the two poles of religiousness and secularity.     

Higher Education as a Platform for Cross‐Cultural Transition: the Case of the First Educated Bedouin Women in Israel

This article examines two groups of Bedouin women who studied in different cultural spaces. The first group, due to a lack of high schools in the Negev (during the 1970s), were obliged to leave the village to study and reside in boarding schools in the central and northern regions of Israel. These women returned to their society of origin after the completion of their academic studies. The second group went to Jewish universities in a town near their homes (Beersheba), attending daily and returning home each night to patriarchal control. The article examines the experience of these pioneers in higher education as a form of cultural transition and internal immigration, with an emphasis on the unique characteristics of each of the two groups. Going out to gain higher education is seen in Bedouin society as a form of immigration, and the first educated women therefore became a type of immigrant.     

The Effects of Self‐ and Peer‐Monitoring in Social Studies Performance of Students with Learning Disabilities and Low Achieving Students

This study employed group randomized trials to investigate the effects of self‐ and peer‐monitoring on the academic vocabulary and content knowledge of students with learning disabilities and low achieving students in social studies. Fourth grade students were randomly assigned to either treatment or control groups on a class level. Results indicated that there was a significant interaction effect between the intervention and students’ pretest scores on academic vocabulary acquisition; the intervention was more effective for students with lower scores in the pretest than those with higher scores. In addition, there was a significant intervention effect on content knowledge acquisition; the effect size of the growth of the treatment group on the content knowledge test was significantly larger than that of the comparison group. Teacher interviews also revealed that teachers viewed the intervention positively. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

‘Nowhere that fits’: the dilemmas of school choice for parents of children with Statements of special educational needs (SEN) in England

Giving parents a choice with regard to their children's education has been central to the political discourse of school reform at least since the 1988 Education Reform Act (ERA). With regard to children with a Statement of special educational needs (SSEN), a plethora of policies and laws have given parents the right not only to choose a school, but also to appeal to decisions in the best interest of their children. Yet, despite the discourse of school choice, the implementation and practice of such reforms is neither assured nor simple. Participants in this study indicated that they have little choice of suitable provision and are having to compromise either the academic or the social aspects of their child's schooling. This article argues that for many parents whose children have a Statement of SEN, the choice of a school is often a dilemma, as ‘nowhere seems to fit’.     

非英语专业学生口语自我修订情况调查

本文研究非英语专业学生口语自我修订情况,发现大部分学生在口语表达时都有自我修订的习惯,其中包括内容修订和自我纠错。内容修订表明学生在口语表达时逻辑思维能力还需要提高,紧张情绪需要克服。在自我纠错方面,学生对语法错误的纠正多于对词汇和语音错误的纠正,其中,对语音错误的纠正最少。     

Improvement of Word Problem Solving and Basic Mathematics Competencies in Students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Mathematical Learning Difficulties

Problem solving represents a salient deficit in students with mathematical learning difficulties (MLD) primarily caused by difficulties with informal and formal mathematical competencies. This study proposes a computerized intervention tool, the integrated dynamic representation (IDR), for enhancing the early learning of basic mathematical competencies and word problem solving skills. The goal was to compare and contrast the effects of IDR on the acquisition of informal and formal mathematical competencies in students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and MLD. Participants were 216 students (6–9 years), who were classified into three groups: ADHD (n = 72), MLD (n = 82), ADHD and MLD (n = 62). They completed the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (Third Edition). The results showed that all three diagnosed groups improved significantly postintervention in all mathematical competencies, with the MLD‐only group benefiting the most at posttest.     

Teacher education students' reflections on how problem‐based learning has changed their mental models about teaching and learning

Abstract

Students develop robust mental models of teaching and learning during their school years, and as such, often teach as they were taught—possibly perpetuating practices that limit intellectual inquiry in classrooms. This paper reports on an analysis, using a conceptual framework and NUD?1ST software, of a cohort of 3rd‐year teacher education students' reflections on changes in their mental models following their experiences in a problem‐based learning (PBL) topic. Results provide evidence that students do report changing mental models in areas such as (a) the value of case studies for engaging with subject content, motivating learning, and connecting theory with practice; (b) self‐reflection and peer collaboration for cognitive and professional growth; and (c) processes of inquiry for developing self‐regulated learning practices.     

自考生抑郁心理现状成因与对策

本文从社会、学校、学生三个层面分析了自考生抑郁心理产生的原因，并探讨了改善此种情况的方法和途径。自考生抑郁心理产生的原因主要来自于社会的认识偏差、教学资源的短缺以及错误的个人定位。加强制度建设、优化学校管理、引导个人正确归因对提高自考生的自信心、改善心理状况有着重要意义。     

新形势下加强基层党组织建设的实践与探索

复杂多变的新形势下加强我国基层党组织建设需要明确当前形势和存在的问题,需要建立与工作要求相适应的工作体制与机制,要从每一个基层党组织建设的实践中创新工作思路,做出符合当前工作形势的有效探索。