Towards powerful learning environments for the acquisition of problem-solving skills

It is generally agreed that acquiring thinking and problem-solving skills is nowadays a primary objective of general education. Responding appropriately to this challenge requires an answer to the following questions: 1. what does the acquisition of problem-solving skills involve, and 2. how can those abilities be fostered through systematic instruction? This contribution describes a four-step model of skilled problem-solving processes, and gives an overview of three major categories of cognitive skills involved in competent problem solving, namely, the flexible and integrated application of domain-specific knowledge, of heuristic methods, and of metacognitive skills. Furthermore, a framework is presented for the design and elaboration of powerful teaching-learning environments in which such problem-solving skills can be acquired efficiently. Two basic ideas underlying this model are: the view of learning as a constructive process, and the idea of cognitive apprenticeship as an effective and appropriate method for learning and teaching. Finally, some recent research findings supporting the educational significance of the framework are briefly reviewed.     

Training complete engineers: Global enterprise and engineering education

For the past few years a discussion has been going on about the specific skills and knowledge a complete engineer should possess. Apart form this discussion, a separate debate has focused on the content of an engineer's education. This article is a combination of two joint papers (De Graaff and Ravesteijn 2000, Ravesteijn and De Graaff 2000) bearing on these respective subjects, presented by the authors at the SEFI 2000 conference in Paris. The demands from industry that engineers of the future will have to meet are summarized and related to characteristics of modern training methods. It is argued that a new view on the content of the engineer's education implies, at least to a certain extent, a new set of educational tools.     

Refining Students’ Explanations of an Unfamiliar Physical Phenomenon-Microscopic Friction

Research in Science Education - The first phase of this multiphase study involves modeling of college students’ thinking of friction at the microscopic level. Diagnostic interviews were...     

Effects of blood flow restriction without additional exercise on strength reductions and muscular atrophy following immobilization:A systematic review

Purpose:To investigate whether blood flow restriction(BFR) without concomitant exercise mitigated strength reduction and atrophy of thigh muscles in subjects under immobilization for lower limbs.Methods:The following databases were searched:PubMed,CINAHL,PEDro,Web of Science,Central,and Scopus.Results:The search identified 3 eligible studies,and the total sample in the identified studies consisted of 38 participants.Isokinetic and isometric torque of the knee flexors and extensors was examined in 2 studies.Cross-sectional area of thigh muscles was evaluated in 1 study,and thigh girth was measured in 2 studies.The BFR protocol was 5 sets of 5 min of occlusion and 3 min of free flow,twice daily for approximately 2 weeks.As a whole,the included studies indicate that BFR without exercise is able to minimize strength reduction and muscular atrophy after immobilization.It is crucial to emphasize,however,that the included studies showed a high risk of bias,especially regarding allocation concealment,blinding of outcome assessment,intention-to-treat analyses,and group similarity at baseline.Conclusion:Although potentially useful,the high risk of bias presented by original stodies limits the indication of BFR without concomitant exercise as an effective countermeasure against strength reduction and atrophy mediated by immobilization.     

劳动力市场分割与大学毕业生失业

具有大学以上学历者占我国全部劳动者的比例非常低 ,但最近几年大学毕业生找工作却有越来越难的趋势。这种看似矛盾的现象是转型过程中劳动力市场分割这一制度背景下 ,大学毕业生与用人单位相互搜寻的结果。过大的城乡收入差距和过高的工作转换成本 ,使大学毕业生“宁要城里一张床 ,不要农村一幢房”,但城里的用人单位却因过高的解聘成本和户口成本而不能吸收更多的大学毕业生。因此 ,大学毕业生就业难的缓解和解决 ,要依赖经济发展 ,也离不开体制改革