“角逐卓越”:美国奥巴马政府中小学教育改革新动向

美国的奥巴马总统在2009年提出了"角逐卓越"计划,以竞赛的方式评定各州的基础教育改革计划,并以此来分配改革基金,以期在全国范围内促进教育质量的提升。2010年的首次实施取得了预期的效果,极大地促进了各州在竞争机制下创新改革教育的积极性,并在保持教育分权的基础上有效地引导了各州教育的发展方向,但同时也存在着各州间实际差异考虑不足的问题。     

Familiarity and relatedness: Effects on social learning about foods by Norway rats and Mongolian gerbils

In recent experiments in which the social influences on feeding in Mongolian gerbils were investigated, observer gerbils acquired food preferences from conspecific demonstrators only if the demonstrators and observers were either related or familiar. Even then, the effects of demonstrator gerbils on observers’ food choices lasted less than 24 h. In similar experiments with Norway rats, the familiarity/relatedness of demonstrators and observers had little effect on social learning, and the demonstrators’ influence on observers’ food choices lasted many days. We examined the causes of these differences and found that, after observer gerbils interacted with either unfamiliar or familiar conspecific demonstrators that had been fed using procedures typically used to feed demonstrator rats, they showed long-lasting social learning about foods, whereas observer rats interacting with conspecific demonstrators that had been fed as demonstrator gerbils normally are fed showed effects of familiarity/relatedness to demonstrators on their social learning about foods. Procedural differences, rather than species differences, seem to be responsible for reported inconsistencies in social learning about foods by rats and gerbils.     

Mapping the quality of feedback to support students’ learning in lower secondary classrooms

Feedback, talk and joint activities that build on knowledge and shared aims are powerful supports for learning. However, several studies of lower secondary students’ perceptions of teachers’ support indicate low teacher support. To investigate the quality of learning support, a content analysis instrument (CLASS) was used in analyses of 56 video-recorded lessons from 28 teachers in four lower secondary schools. This has allowed for a mapping of dimensions of quality feedback interactions, and results show significant and very strong inter-item relationships. The lessons analysed are characterized by a positive climate, and teachers emphasize encouragement, but feedback is found to be more encouraging than learning oriented. The results support previous studies based on students’ perceptions, but provide insights into practices that are necessary if a goal is to influence teachers’ professional learning.     

Using activity theory as a lens to analyse interaction in a university–school initial teacher education and training partnership

The development of beginning teachers' practice during a school placement is a multiplicity of mediated interactions between university- and school-based systems. Both systems have the common aim of training effective teachers. However, day-to-day internal institution matters can cause tension between the learning goals set out for the beginning teacher by the university and the schools' drive to ensure maximum student performance in ‘high stake’ national tests. This article reports on an intervention intended to equip beginning teachers with the capacity to learn, through purposive activity, in an authentic classroom environment. The context of the learning was to address the conceptual difficulties that secondary school pupils (aged 11-16) have in understanding scientific concepts within the constraints of a ‘curriculum delivery’ lead culture. The results show that beginning teachers are able to extract principles, which might assist them in new contexts in the future. The interactions which took place during the intervention within a school University Initial Teacher Education and Training partnership were analysed using activity systems.     

WISC-R performance of children referred to a university center for learning disabilities

This study compared the WISC-R performance of 40 children ranging in age from 6–6 to 15–10, referred to a university center for suspected learning disabilities, with that of two clinically defined groups of learning disabled children. The university center children were found to have WISC-R profiles similar to those of the learning disabled children, with higher overall levels of performance. It was speculated that these children avoid classification as learning disabled by virtue of possessing higher cognitive abilities than those children who are classified. Implications were raised concerning the role of university centers with children experiencing learning difficulties and the accuracy of parental perceptions of learning disabilities.     

Sharing best practices in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago: patterns of policy implementation and resistance

This article outlines policies from multilateral organisations that advocate sharing best practices between developing nations. The article discusses the degree to which these best practices are implemented by small states as indicated by teachers, academics and policymakers in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. For the purpose of this article, a best practice refers to pedagogy, curriculum or programme that contributes to student achievement. Currently, a number of influential multilateral organisations advocate that developing nations should share their best practices in education with each other. Despite encouragement by multilaterals however, best practices are not shared. At best, foreign ideas are used to legitimise local policies. While these policies are intended to help countries reach their Education for All (EFA) goals, they do not account for the differences between islands and their vulnerability towards larger countries. Attempts to innovate the curriculum by implementing foreign ideas failed due to the forces of tradition. It can thus be concluded that resistance – non‐compliance or opposition – to sharing educational best practices, as well as to the implementation of new curricula, stems from echoes of colonialism and globalisation. Although this study focuses on two islands, there are implications for other developing countries and small states as they fall under the same policy auspices of UNESCO and the Commonwealth Secretariat.     

What observer rats don’t learn about foods from demonstrator rats

Naive “observer” rats that interact with conspecific “demonstrators” fed a distinctive food increase intake of the food their demonstrators have eaten. Here we found that observer rats that had interacted simultaneously with 2 demonstrator rats, 1 fed a distinctively flavored, protein-poor food, the other a distinctively flavored, protein-rich food, did not prefer the former. Similarly, observer rats ate equal amounts of two distinctively flavored foods after interacting simultaneously with 2 demonstrator rats, 1 that had consumed all food available to it, the other fed from a surplus of the second food. Last, observer rats that had interacted with both a “trustworthy” demonstrator (1 an observer had learned ate only nutritious foods) and an “untrustworthy” demonstrator (1 an observer had learned ate noxious substances) did not prefer unfamiliar foods eaten by trustworthy demonstrators to those eaten by untrustworthy demonstrators. These findings suggest limits on social information observers use in selecting foods.     

变革与绩效:高等教育的质量保障

随着高等教育规模和数量的扩大，世界各国都越来越关注高等教育的绩效和质量保障，采用各种方法来进行质量控制。文章介绍各国的经验和做法，指出由于高等教育的复杂性，不可能只有一个质量保障的方法，而由于每种方法都有其缺陷，评价绩效和质量保障必须采用多种方法。