Astronomy alternative conceptions in pre-adolescent students in Western Australia

ABSTRACT

Alternative conceptions in astronomy are a road block to new learning. Astronomy content is included in the Australian Curriculum (AC) from Year 3 and then intermittently in Year 5, Year 7 and Year 10. In accepting that science is socio-culturally constructed, it is important for teachers to have a clear understanding of the alternative conceptions that students bring with them to the science classroom. This article reports on the alternative conceptions elicited from 546 students ranging from Year 5 through Year 7 using a modified form of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test [Danaia, L. (2006). Students’ experiences, perceptions and performance in junior secondary school science: An intervention study involving a remote telescope (Doctoral dissertation). Charles Sturt University, Bathurst]. Results show that some well identified alternative conceptions, such as the ‘eclipse model’ to explain the phases of the Moon, exist before students enter high school and prior to any formal learning on the topic. In addition, this research identified a number of alternative conceptions held by pre-adolescent students in Western Australia that were based on knowledge that should have been consolidated by students in Year 3, viz., the relative movements of the Earth, Moon and Sun. Armed with students’ alternative conceptions as a part of their pedagogical content knowledge, teachers can construct active learning experiences that will challenge students’ existing constructs in order to allow for new learning. This sample suggests that we need to identify the reasons behind the lack of consolidation of the foundation astronomy content of the Australian Curriculum outlined for students in Year 3.     

青藏古植被的演变与青藏高原的隆起

 西藏北部，在早石炭世晚期位于欧亚古陆的南缘，其植物群与当时印度次大     陆的不同。在晚二叠世，藏北属华夏植物区(即大羽羊齿植物区)；印度河-雅鲁     藏布江大断裂带以南的地区出现舌羊齿植物群，  因而属冈瓦纳古陆的一部分。     到晚三叠世藏北植物群的面貌与我国西南同时代的植物群相似，与印度的则迥     然不同，显示藏北晚三叠世的植物群与南半球植物群也没有直接联系。  柴达木     侏罗纪植物群和拉萨附近早白垩世植物群与北半球的植物群有密切的关系。日     喀则晚白垩世植物群和阿里早始新世植物群也是如此。他们与印度德干玄武岩     夹层中出现的古新世植物群和印度北部始新世植物群也没有联系。  当时，西藏     的北部和南部属于两个不同的古陆，欧亚古陆和冈瓦纳古陆。  两者之间应有一     个很宽阔的特提斯海。因而，青藏的植物化石强有力地支持了大陆漂移的观点，     印度地块在晚侏罗世—白垩纪时是由非洲东南隅分离向北漂移，到始新世才与     亚洲连接，成为现在的南亚次大陆。  欧亚大陆与印度地块的接合线或许就是印     度河－雅鲁藏布江大断裂带。     　　从晚石炭世到早始新世的植物群的性质上看，藏北地势多半低洼。     中新世时，西藏中部和北部的植被是以落叶阔叶林为主，虽然某些地区有一     些常绿树存在，反映在中新世以前西藏中部和北部的地面已经上升到一定的程     度。在上新世时，藏北的常绿阔叶林逐渐减缩。柴达木盆地的植被转变成落叶     阔叶林－针叶林，以后转变成草原和半荒漠或荒漠，显示西藏和青海的地面进一     步抬升。     　　到晚上新世，藏北和青海的植被再行演变。然而，喜马拉雅地区的植被仍然     具有常绿栎林和雪松林。可能那时喜马拉雅山不像现在那么高。印度洋的季风     可以吹过喜马拉雅山，没有高山的阻碍。     　　第四纪是青藏山系和青藏地面上升最剧烈的时期。此时藏北已无常绿阔叶     树的存在。  到第四纪后期西藏大部分地区的植被逐渐演变为高寒荒漠。  最后，    青藏高原变成现在的情况。     

Elementary school–wide implementation of a blended learning program for reading intervention

The authors examined the implementation of a blended learning program for literacy instruction across kindergarten through Grade 5 in a Title I urban elementary school, including a population of students (18%) who are English learners. Student progress in the online component of the blended learning program was a significant predictor of growth in reading performance on a standardized reading assessment (Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation, Pearson Assessment, Boulder, CO) when controlling for student grade level, initial student skill level, and English learner status; however, students in kindergarten through Grade 2 showed more substantial gains than students in later grades. These results suggest there is a benefit of a blended learning approach to literacy instruction for a diverse cross-section of students, particularly when beginning instruction in the early grades.     

Transformational Leadership in the Planning of a Doctoral Program

Growing criticism of existing educational leadership preparation programs seems to focus on a lack of contextual relevancy and instructional leadership. Universities and school districts need to develop more formal, collaborative, long-term relationships focused on the nature of principal preparation, moving beyond acculturation to district norms and irrelevancy to building future leaders' capacity for continuous educational improvement. Educational administration as an applied field demands that we answer key questions regarding the development of effective practitioners.     

Plowden aims

This article focuses primarily on the challenges of one multicultural classroom. The underlying intentions of the exercise are, however, somewhat wider than this may suggest. The article initially notes that some urban teachers have felt undervalued in recent years and then seeks to identify how the demands of complex urban classrooms can be explained effectively. It is in pursuit of this objective that attention turns to a multicultural class taught for one year. Factors which made the task of teaching the class both complex and rewarding are identified and analysed. Use of the concept of ‘complexity’ is then clarified through brief reference to wider reading. This paves the way for consideration of the potential value of the approach adopted at a time when some urban teachers are vulnerable to unfair criticism rooted in ignorance and arrogance. It is hoped that the article may help to combat the prejudice which far too many urban teachers continue to face.     

Toward a Theory of School Effectiveness and Leadership

ABSTRACT

The research on school effectiveness and school improvement lacks theoretical development. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the construction of a theory of school effectiveness and leadership. The contribution made here is in the form of a typology of school effectiveness. In the early stages of theoretical development, typologies are often useful devices for organizing what is known and for focusing attention on important questions and areas for further exploration. Within the typological framework offered here, school effectiveness is supposed to be a function of three major factors: administrative appropriateness, teacher preparedness and student readiness. While parents and community effects are important, they are assumed to be mediated by these three factors. The most ineffective schools are those in which the administration is inappropriate, the teachers are not prepared to teach and the students are not ready to learn. In the most effective schools, the opposite is the case. Schools tend to move back and forth between these two extremes in stages. It is hypothesized that there are eight stages of school effectiveness, the stages ranging from the most ineffective to the most effective school.