Editorial

Science &; Education -     

Figures of speech in the physics classroom: a process of conceptual change

Background: This study investigates the role of figures of speech in the process of conceptual change in the physics classroom. Purpose: Its objectives are to examine what teachers and students perceive to be the advantages in using figures of speech in teaching physics concepts, what they perceive to be the challenges in using them, and how teachers use these in their classrooms to minimize the challenges faced. Sample We chose a purposive sample of 95 students and nine teachers of physics, in four schools in Lebanon. Design and methods: A mixed-method approach was used. Interviews were conducted with physics teachers; questionnaires were distributed to students, and non-participant classroom observations were carried out. Results: Teachers viewed figures of speech as a tool that helps them transmit abstract physics concepts to students in a simpler and concrete way. Questionnaires and non-participant observations revealed several examples of figures of speech used and the positive responses of students towards them. Conclusions: The study suggests several ways to overcome the drawbacks. This study highlights the urgent need for all stakeholders to work collaboratively to include figures of speech in the curriculum to enhance the process of conceptual change in the physics classroom.     

Interrupting situated practices: critical incidents in international partnerships

This paper examines the initial steps of an internationally funded project focused on enhancing teachers’ conceptual and pedagogical knowledge of literacy development in the Western Cape of South Africa. We asked what are the tensions and breakthroughs when engaged in international teacher professional development? Four lines of inquiry support this work: internationalization and production of knowledge, professional development structures, communities of practice, and ethic of care. Resulting themes included initial barriers, localized professional development, and enhancing teacher capacity for change. To explain the themes, we identified four critical incidents. This study has potential to inform the international community of new directions for teacher learning.     

The 4 Dimensional Language of Infancy: The Interpersonal Basis of Art Practice

Using studies made in London, England, plus recent research conducted in Singapore, this paper investigates the roots of aesthetic and design sensibilities in the symbolic play and drawing of early infancy. This study supports Colwyn Trevarthen’s [1996] theory that in an interpersonal space formed between caregiver and infant, facial expression, gesture and vocalisations of each partner are orchestrated together and are given powerful expressive and representational values. Microanalysis of video recordings shows that exploratory actions impelled by the infant are organised by patterned bursts of emotions. The rhythmic periodicities of these actions form the structure of later art-making and design, including early drawing, painting and dance. There are important pedagogical implications concerning the optimal conditions required to promote art and design understandings in childhood. The Congress presentation of this paper was illustrated by video-recorded observations, made in London and Singapore, of the beginnings of expression, representation and design.     

The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) bibliographic database

NTIS, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, in Springfield, Virginia, is the central source for the public sale of U.S. government-sponsored research, reports and electronic products such as bibliographic databases, numeric and statistical data files, computer software and Compact Disk Read Only Memory (CD-ROM). NTIS is a unique U.S. government agency sustained only by its sales revenue.     

A subtraction experiment with six and seven year old children

This paper gives an account of an experiment involving 176 children of 6 and 7 years and their difficulties with subtraction problems. By using two screening questions, four levels of attainment were established and two teaching programmes were then devised to help the children forward to their next level. The results show that it is possible to assess a level of understanding in subtraction quickly and accurately and that, through the teaching programmes, pre-requisite skills needed to establish a sound foundation for subtraction can be taught. The experiment indicates, however, that an attempt to symbolise too soon is a danger to be avoided.