>How to avoid implying that physicalism is true: a problem for teachers of science

It is difficult to teach science without implying, in a broad sense, that physicalism is true. This is a problem for teachers, regardless of whether they accept or reject physicalism, as well as for students. Physicalism‐‐it used to be called materialism‐‐is not a single doctrine, but a family of doctrines. Six of these are described and it is argued that they are not logically favoured by science. Since alternative metaphysical schemes exist (e.g. Whitehead's) which are consistent with scientific facts, evidence which supports a scientific theory over rivals, even decisively, does not have the logical power to decide in favour of physicalism. Science teaching's insinuation of physicalism can be avoided by deliberately stressing such uncontroversial features of science as: the unfinished nature of research; the use of idealizations in scientific theories; how all scientific theories at best only approach the truth; and that older theories are now known to be, strictly, false, although they still fit the facts to some degree.     

The impact of a college counseling program on economically disadvantaged gifted students and their subsequent college adjustment

The impact of a college and career counseling program on economically disadvantaged gifted students and their subsequent college adjustment was assessed. Fifty‐five students from public high schools in a major urban school district in the midwest were compared to a group of economically advantaged students who participated in a special summer program for high school students at a private midwestern university. Results indicate that both before and after the program, the groups were similar with respect to the basis for their college choices, motivation to attend college, and career readiness. The economically disadvantaged students changed their plans to finance college as a result of the program and expected college to be significantly more lonely. A three‐year follow‐up revealed that economically disadvantaged gifted students were more likely to enroll at in‐state colleges, to experience college as significantly more boring, dull, and snobbish, and to have more difficulty adjusting socially and forming attachments to their universities.     

Evaluating students' science notebooks as an assessment tool

The idea of using science notebooks as a classroom assessment tool is not new. There is general agreement that science notebooks allow teachers to assess students' conceptual and procedural understanding and to provide the feedback students need for improving their performance. In this study we examined the use of science notebooks as an unobtrusive assessment tool that can also be used by individuals outside the classroom (for example, school district personnel), and as a means for obtaining information about students' learning and their opportunities to learn. More specifically, in this study students' science notebooks were used as a source of data about the (a) implementation of a curriculum's intended activities, (b) students' performance, and (c) quality of teachers' feedback. Our results indicated that: (1) Students' science notebooks can be reliably scored. Unit implementation, student performance, and teacher feedback scores were highly consistent across raters and units. (2) High and positive correlations with other performance assessment scores indicated that the student performance score can be considered as an achievement indicator. And (3) low performance scores across the two units revealed that students' communication skills and understanding were far away from the maximum score and did not improve over the course of instruction during the school year. This result may be due, in part, to the fact that no teacher feedback was found in any of the students' notebooks across the six classrooms studied. This may reflect some characteristics of the teachers' assessment practices that may require further professional development.     

Designs of concept maps and their impacts on readers' performance in memory and reasoning while reading

From the perspective of the Fuzzy Trace Theory, this study investigated the impacts of concept maps with two strategic orientations (comprehensive and thematic representations) on readers' performance of cognitive operations (such as perception, verbatim memory, gist reasoning and syntheses) while the readers were reading two history articles that argue from different perspectives about a historical incident that had a profound impact on Taiwan. The results show that the design and focus of the concept maps may influence the formation of mental representations, and that this may be facilitative or constraining in regard to the readers' memory formation and reasoning about the reading materials. Based on these findings, the meaning of constraining effects of concept maps is discussed, and an instructional method involving the progressive elaboration of concept map systems is recommended.     

Environmental Education as a Lived‐Body Practice? A Contemplative Pedagogy Perspective

Environmental education usually appeals to the students’ knowledge and rational understanding. Even though this is needed, there is a neglected aspect of learning ecologically fruitful action; that of the lived‐body. This paper introduces the lived‐body as an important site for learning ecological action. An argument is made for the need of a biophilia revolution, in which refined experience of the body and enhanced capabilities for sensing are seen as important ways of complementing the more common, knowledge‐based environmental education. Alienation from the physical environment is seen as one key element in producing environmental devastation. Consequently, human alienation from nature is seen as closely related to alienation from one's body. It is claimed that through overcoming the (Cartesian) dualist alienation of human consciousness from its lived body, we can decrease the alienation of human beings from their environment. Methods of contemplative pedagogy are introduced for addressing alienation. By getting in touch with the tangible lived‐body in yoga or mindfulness meditation we reconnect to the material world of nature. Contemplative pedagogy cultivates the body and its senses for learning intrinsic valuation and caring for the environment. Lived‐body experience is challenging to conceptualise; we use Maurice Merleau‐Ponty's concept of the flesh in our attempt to do so. Finally, this paper suggests some contemplative practices of the lived‐body for environmental education. Experiencing the flesh of oneself and the world as one and the same is an environmentally conducive experience that gives value and meaning to the flourishing of all life, human and non‐human.     

Book review

Philosophy of Educational Research Richard Pring (2000), London and New York: Continuum.