Stimulating pre-service teachers’ content and pedagogical content knowledge on rational numbers

This study explored the perspectives of mathematics teacher educator-researchers (MTE-Rs) on the use of theory in facilitating teacher growth. We adopted the framework of the theory-centered scholarship triangle (Silver & Herbst, 2007) to probe the underlying meanings of perspectives on theory use expressed by MTE-Rs. Qualitative analysis revealed three distinct types of perspectives: a perspective focusing on research, a perspective focusing on practice, and a perspective on the connection between research and practice. For the perspective on the connection between research and practice, two sub-categories were identified: connection with consideration of context and that without consideration of context. Different perspectives that MTE-Rs possess may influence their actions taken in professional development and consequently influence teachers’ learning of theory. Specifically, the cyclic process of decontextualizing and recontextualizing theory between research and practice domains is the key to the development of MTE-Rs’ educative power so that they can better facilitate teachers in learning theory.     

Tests,measurements, and selection in the Belgian Congo during the 1950s: the end of racist clichés?

ABSTRACT

Research into the history of colonial education in Congo has shown that, for a long time, it was dominated by the idea of gradual development of the masses. Here, the problem of selecting an intellectual elite hardly arose. It was only in the 1950s that a growing number of voices began to clamour for the Congolese to be permitted to study in secondary schools and universities. However, psychological testing was not the first means of resort in the selection of an elite. Nevertheless, following the Second World War, the sentiment that psychological testing might be helpful began to take hold in Belgium. Drawing on various international developments, a handful of specialists took up the issue. The analysis of their work shows that much of what Linstrum contended concerning the history of psychological research in the British Empire, also applies to Congo. Despite their modest number, these studies cannot simply be viewed as pretext for the racism deeply ingrained in colonial circles. But this does not mean that pseudo-scientific clichés about the backwardness of the Africans did not make an appearance. Rather the contrary was true. In any event, these studies were not prepared to pierce through general sentiment and therefore, do not seem to have yielded much more than adherence to the new, prestigious scientific research methods.     

‘I Think It's Really Great that Someone Is Listening to Us ...‘: young people and the environment

This paper presents a qualitative study of the environmental concerns and attitudes of young people. The study arose when it was recognised that a quantitative study on youth environmental knowledge and attitude in which we were engaged could be enriched through qualitative research. A pilot qualitative study was conducted using focus group interviews with young people aged 15‐17 years in Brisbane, Australia. The findings of this study are reported. Of particular interest are the young peoples’ expressions of cynicism, frustration, powerlessness and hope that have not been identified in quantitative studies about youth environmental knowledge and attitudes.     

The cult of order: in search of underlying patterns of the colonial and neo-colonial “grammar of educationalisation” in the Belgian Congo. Exported school rituals and routines?

Abstract

An analysis of the history of primary education in Belgium by Depaepe et al. in 2000 has demonstrated how the idea of “order” structured classroom reality in the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This “order” is not only visible in the internal organisation of schooling (e.g. division into year classes, a structured timetable, the use of the didactics of teacher-centred instruction), but also in the design of the curriculum. Good behaviour and moral decency were consistently prioritised over “intellectual knowledge”. Very similar paternalising practices – including the cult of order – were transported to the Belgian colony. The implementation of these practices, however, did not go smoothly, because the African context of missionary education was totally different from the Belgian educational context. Precisely as a result of these difficulties, the core characteristics and likewise mistakes of the transported “grammar of educationalisation” become even more apparent. On the basis of a variety of sources, this paper demonstrates that secondary education for boys in the Belgian colony of Congo was founded on the same educational norms and values that characterised nineteenth-century Belgian education. In this respect, order was considered the conditio sine qua non for discipline and self-discipline. But, in contrast to what Nikolas Rose has argued, the Foucaultian paradigm – although attractive and interesting – is not imperative in explaining the educational strategy of order. On the contrary, the development of the history of education as a science could benefit from a theoretical framework coming “from within” the discipline. Until today, the history of educational practice has been explained from a history of education perspective only to a limited extent. By exploring the duality of a didactic grammar of schooling, on the one hand, and an educational semantics of moralisation, on the other hand, this paper contributes to the development of a theoretical framework from within the history of education.     

From practice to theory,Ovide Decroly for Brazilian classrooms: a tale of appropriation

In this article the authors attempt to understand and apprehend the dynamic transnational movement of the appropriation of Ovide Decroly’s ideas and its ‘flight to Brazilian lands’. They work with the assumption that Decroly’s ideas, entangled in different levels, are articulating and interacting with the Brazilian cultural and educational environment. The intention is to get close to the classroom and to have a glimpse at the practices inside. To approach classroom practices, a traditional archive has been chosen, which is constituted by the pedagogical press, to have a thorough look within: pedagogical periodicals and pedagogical collections, and analyses of two books and six articles concerning Decroly’s ideas published in Brazil between 1927 and 1931. Methodological discussions are first introduced, and the substantial contents of the books and articles concerning Decroly’s ideas under study are then presented. In the analyses the authors debate what happened to Decroly’s ideas when Brazilian teachers and intellectuals used them.     

An Action Research Network as a Strategy for Educational Change: The “Learning for a Sustainable Environment” Project

This paper provides a case study of theLearning for a Sustainable EnvironmentProject which illustrates how educationalchange may be fostered at a regional levelthrough the professional development of teachereducators. The purpose of this project was toexpand the range of innovative practices usedin teacher education programmes in theAsia-Pacific region by introducing educators tothe curriculum planning skills and teachingmethodologies of environmental education. Thiswas done through an action research network ofteacher educators who shared in the developmentand evaluation of workshop modules as a vehiclefor collaborative professional development.This paper outlines the details of thisstrategy for change and uses the findings of aparticipatory evaluation of the project toargue that the action research network approachused in this project can provide a relativelyinexpensive and egalitarian approach torethinking professional development andeducational change. This is of particularsignificance in `southern' settings such asAsia and the Pacific where professionaldevelopment, especially in higher education,tends to be dependent upon outside expertisefunded by aid agencies and the multilateralbanks.     

The Illusion of Linearity: Expanding the evidence towards probabilistic reasoning

Previous research has shown that – due to the extensive attention spent to proportional reasoning in mathematics education – many students have a strong tendency to apply linear or proportional models anywhere, even in situations where they are not applicable. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as the ‘illusion of linearity’. For example, in geometry it is known that many students believe that if the sides of a figure are doubled, the area is doubled too. In this article, the empirical evidence for this phenomenon is expanded to the domain of probabilistic reasoning. First, we elaborate on the notion of chance and provide some reasons for expecting the over generalization of linear models in the domain of probability too. Afterwards, a number of well-known and less-known probabilistic misconceptions are described and analysed, showing that they have one remarkable characteristic in common: they can be interpreted in terms oft he improper application of linear relations. Finally, we report on an empirical investigation aimed at identifying the ability of 10^th and12^th grade students to compare the probabilities of two binomial chance situations. It appears that before instruction in probability, students have a good capability of comparing two events qualitatively, but at the same time they incorrectly quantify this qualitative insight as if the variables in the problem were linked by a linear relationship. Remarkably, these errors persist after instruction in probability. The potential of this study for improving the teaching and learning of probability, as well as suggestions for further research, are discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

How do primary pre‐service teachers in a regional Australian university plan for teaching,learning and acting in environmentally responsible ways?

Integrated unit plans with an environmental focus can provide opportunities for school students to develop critical thinking skills, and to act in responsible ways – that is, to develop ‘action competence’. In this study, environmentally focused integrated unit plans, developed and implemented by final year pre‐service teachers at an Australian regional university, were analysed to determine the extent to which they contained concepts that promoted action competence. Results here suggest that more work could be done in the area of pre‐service education to prepare teachers for teaching, learning and acting responsibly in relation to complex environmental issues. In particular, there could be more emphasis on developing integrated unit plans that empower school students and promote critical thinking, democratic processes and action‐oriented knowledge.     

Students as Catalysts of Environmental Change: a framework for researching intergenerational influence through environmental education

Many environmental problems are desperately in need of attention. Educating both adults and young people is seen as part of the solution to such problems. Given this situation, and the already considerable investment in environmental education in schools, the notion of encouraging students to initiate environmental discussions with adults at home and in the community seems attractive and worthy of investigation. To this end, this paper critically reviews education and social science literature concerning intergenerational influence. An approach is outlined to guide future efforts in research and programme development aimed at encouraging students' to act as catalysts of environmental communication and learning beyond school boundaries.     

Chinese upper elementary school mathematics teachers�� attitudes towards the place and value of problematic word problems in mathematics education

Word problems play a crucial role in mathematics education. However, the authenticity of word problems is quite controversial. In terms of the necessity of realistic considerations to be taken into account in the solution process, word problems have been classified into two categories: standard word problems (S-items) and problematic word problems (P-items). S-items refer to those problems involving the straightforward application of one or more arithmetical operations with the given numbers, whereas P-items call for the use of real-world knowledge and real-life experience in the problem-solving process. This study aims to explore how Chinese upper elementary school mathematics teachers think of the place and value of P-items in the elementary mathematics curriculum.