一尊化石的新生命

很久以前,当犀牛族群身处现在西班牙西北部的山谷中吃草时,一头小犀牛游逛到一个洞穴中死掉了.让我们快进大约900年.1970年,英国的洞穴研究者发现了这个小家伙的化石,并推测他是一头驴子的残骸.后来,西班牙专家声称这是一头史前熊,并试图把它移至马德里.但当地的居民并不打算放弃这么一个珍奇的发现,特别是如果它能吸引游客的话.     

National identity,patriotism and studying politics in schools: a case study in Hong Kong

After reunification with the People's Republic of China in 1997, Hong Kong was turned into a special administrative region. The new government has repeatedly emphasised the development of national identity and patriotism. One of the locations where these issues might be expected to appear is in the teaching of Government and Public Affairs (GPA), an optional subject offered to secondary students aged 15–18. The aim of this paper is to study the perceptions of GPA teachers in order to address two issues. First, how do GPA teachers who teach politics in schools construe ‘national identity’ and ‘patriotism’? Second, do the teachers believe studying politics through the subject GPA can enhance national identity and patriotism among the students? The findings show that the teachers understand national identity and patriotism critically. They insist politics should be taught in a rational way. At the same time, they think teaching politics in a rational way, with no appeal to the emotions as is the current practice, will enhance neither the students' sense of national identity nor their patriotism.     

Children’s attitudes toward small computers: a preliminary study

While it has been established that children have positive attitudes toward the use of computers when used in computer-assisted instruction, little is known about children’s attitudes toward small“home” or“personal” computers. Results of this study indicate that children have multidimensional attitudes toward small computers, their interaction with these computers, and ease of use.     

The Unfolding of Student Adjustment During the First Semester of College

Research in Higher Education - College sense of belonging and well-being constitute critical components of college student adjustment and success. Previous studies have generally measured these...     

Skill levels of educational interpreters working in public schools

The Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment, or EIPA, is an evaluation tool designed specifically for educational interpreters. An evaluation using the EIPA considers the child's grade level, the sign language or sign system that the interpreter is using as well as any other child-specific factors. Fifty-nine educational interpreters were evaluated using the EIPA. They had different backgrounds and training, and used different types of sign language or sign language or sign systems. The results show that not all of the educational interpreters were qualified to provide a child with an adequate interpretation of classroom discourse. Less than half of the educational interpreters assessed in this study performed at a level considered minimally acceptable. These data also show that sign vocabulary skills were significantly better than grammatical skills. Eighteen interpreters were evaluated twice in order to test-retest reliability, which showed that scores were not significantly different between the two evaluations. The picture that emerges from these data is that many deaf children receive an interpretation of classroom discourse that may distort and inadequately represent the information being communicated.     

Testing the usability of information technology applications with learners with special educational needs (SEN)

This paper reports on the 'usability' element of a study examining the development of a multimedia Learning Environment (LE) for Special Educational Needs (SEN) students, designed to match learner requirements to learning materials, as elicited from cognitive and accessibility profiles drawn up by teachers and learning support assistants. In developing the system, the researchers examined how usability tests could be undertaken that meaningfully involved people with cognitive disabilities. Methods were developed following interviews with staff and much observation of lessons involving the use of computers. The usability tests themselves consisted of a series of graded activities drawn from various SEN sources. They required only one or two actions – activating a mouse and/or guiding a cursor – for completion. The study highlighted a number of issues inherent in working with a user group comprising SEN students, including interpreting non-compliance and other behaviour patterns, making tasks meaningful, and accounting for the presence and degree of assistance given by a helper. Of particular interest was the issue of matching the intellectual level of tasks with the physical ease-of-use of the system. The paper suggests various methods for obviating problems elicited, and makes recommendations for the further development of computer-based activities designed to promote independent learning and inclusivity.     

Increasing the Use of Student-Centered Pedagogies from Moderate to High Improves Student Learning and Attitudes about Biology

Student-centered strategies are being incorporated into undergraduate classrooms in response to a call for reform. We tested whether teaching in an extensively student-centered manner (many active-learning pedagogies, consistent formative assessment, cooperative groups; the Extensive section) was more effective than teaching in a moderately student-centered manner (fewer active-learning pedagogies, less formative assessment, without groups; the Moderate section) in a large-enrollment course. One instructor taught both sections of Biology 101 during the same quarter, covering the same material. Students in the Extensive section had significantly higher mean scores on course exams. They also scored significantly higher on a content postassessment when accounting for preassessment score and student demographics. Item response theory analysis supported these results. Students in the Extensive section had greater changes in postinstruction abilities compared with students in the Moderate section. Finally, students in the Extensive section exhibited a statistically greater expert shift in their views about biology and learning biology. We suggest our results are explained by the greater number of active-learning pedagogies experienced by students in cooperative groups, the consistent use of formative assessment, and the frequent use of explicit metacognition in the Extensive section.