STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING OF LARGE NUMBERS AS A KEY FACTOR IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF GEOLOGIC TIME

An understanding of geologic time is comprised of 2 facets. Events in Earth’s history can be placed in relative and absolute temporal succession on a vast timescale. Rates of geologic processes vary widely, and some occur over time periods well outside human experience. Several factors likely contribute to an understanding of geologic time, one of which is an individual’s ability to perceive the relative size of large time periods and to move multiplicatively through quantities that differ by many orders of magnitude. Thirty-five US students aged 13–24?years participated in task-based interviews to assess their understanding of large temporal periods. Fewer than half of the students performed well enough to indicate that their knowledge of large numbers was robust enough to enable them to understand processes in geologic time. Some students were confused about relationships between quantities in the thousands and millions, while others had difficulty showing proportional relationships among relatively small temporal units (up to 100?years). Students differed in their ability to perceive the entire scale upon which numbers were to be placed as well as broader problem-solving strategies. Spatial mapping of numbers was evident. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Online activities of urban Malaysian adolescents: report of a pilot study

The literacy practices of many communities today show new ways of meaning making in the contemporary, technological and digital culture. A number of Malaysian adolescents belong to this culture. This pilot study reports the preliminary findings of a larger study aimed at describing the online activities of Malaysian adolescents. Fifty‐four participants from an urban secondary school in Penang took part in this study. One finding showed that the percentages of language use on the Internet were: 80.6 per cent in English, 10.6 per cent in Bahasa Malaysia and 8.8 per cent in Chinese. In addition, the study also revealed some common websites that these adolescents frequented. The findings point to the need to investigate the extent of these online literacy practices beyond school among the adolescent population in Malaysia and to look into the implications for ESL education.     

Creating thinking schools through authentic assessment: the case in Singapore

Using Singapore as an example, we argue that schools need to equip and encourage teachers to adopt authentic assessment in teaching and learning so as to develop the students’ higher-order thinking. The importance of teaching and assessing higher-order thinking in Singapore classrooms is encapsulated in the vision of ‘Thinking Schools’ launched by the Ministry of Education in 1997. Underpinning this vision is a shift from conventional assessment to authentic assessment. Unlike conventional paper-and-pencil tests that focus on knowledge reproduction and low-level cognitive processing skills in artificial, contrived contexts, authentic assessment tasks underscore knowledge construction, complex thinking, elaborated communication, collaboration and problem solving in authentic contexts. However, the creation of thinking schools in Singapore remains a constant challenge as many teachers tend to rely on conventional assessment and are often ill-prepared to implement authentic assessment. By presenting the findings from a recent empirical study, we propose that schools build teacher capacity by providing ongoing and sustained professional development on authentic assessment for teachers.     

Quality management of body donation program at the University of Padova

Quality management improvement has become a recent focus of attention in medical education. The program for the donation of bodies and body parts (Body Donation Program) at the University of Padova has recently been subjected to a global quality management standard, the ISO 9001:2008 certification. The aim of the present work is to show how the above standard is useful in enhancing the efficiency of body donation procedures and the quality and output of medical education. The program is managed by means of the following interlinked procedures: the collection of body donations, death certificates, data, and body parts from living donors; the transportation and identification of cadavers; the management of bodies, body parts, equipment, instruments, purchasing of necessary materials, and setting up anatomical training sessions; the management of preventive and corrective actions; the management of documents and registration; the management of internal and external quality audits; and the review of outcomes and improvement planning. Monitoring indicators are identified in the numbers of donors and of donated body parts per year, education sessions, and satisfaction of learners and donors, as evaluated by questionnaires. The process management approach, the integrated involvement of medical, technical, and administrative staff in defining procedures, and the application of monitoring indicators allow quality improvement in all aspects of the Body Donation Program. Anat Sci Educ. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

The impact of ICT education on humanistic innovative potential

Education and Information Technologies - The aim of the study is to develop an analytical framework to study the effect of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) education on humanistic...     

Learning design to support student-AI collaboration: perspectives of leading teachers for AI in education

Education and Information Technologies - Preparing students to collaborate with AI remains a challenging goal. As AI technologies are new to K-12 schools, there is a lack of studies that inform how...     

地方高校转型发展中的教育生产论困境与生存论彰显

进入新时代以来,随着“双一流”建设的选拔性竞争不断加强,高校间的生存竞争不断将地方高校挤入生存的边界。地方高校的初级模仿和迅速扩张,逐渐破坏了地方高校原始生产效能与生存取向的平衡关系,使地方高校陷入生产与生存关系失衡的事实困境。为了回归地方高校生产与生存关系的原始平衡状态,解决地方高校生产与生存关系异化问题,有必要重新解构地方高校转型中的生产与生存功能,从生产与生存的本质关系寻找演化博弈过程中新的生长路径。     

Exploring informal science education responses to COVID-19 global pandemic: learning from the case of the Gwacheon National Science Museum in Korea

Cultural Studies of Science Education - Science museums have long been heralded as important informal science education sites where people can engage in voluntary and experiential science learning....     

Flipped spotters learning model: An innovative student activity-based strategy. A preparation tool for anatomy practical examinations in medical education

The flipped spotters learning model is a modern student activity-based and learner-centered method in medical education. The aim of the study was to determine if the flipped spotters learning model improves students' learning. Participants were 1214 medical students of Polish (PD) and English (ED) divisions between 2013 and 2019 academic years at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland. They were divided into a traditional group (control group) and a flipped spotters learning group (treatment group). Each flipped spotters learning group was asked to label anatomical structures on various specimens according to the structures name list prepared by the teacher on the multiple stations. The flipped spotters learning group leaders were instructed to take pictures with the appropriately marked structures on each of the human body prosections. After completion of the class, each flipped spotters team received photos for evaluation. In the flipped spotters learning model, the students strengthened their skills and knowledge by matching specimens independently as a form of practical laboratory activities. Students' performance in gross anatomy practical examinations between the group utilizing the flipped spotters learning model, and the group with the traditional teaching model was compared. Students participating in the treatment group achieved, on average 9.9 percentage points higher among PD students, and 13.0 percentage points higher among ED students than the control group in all nine practical examinations (the effect size ranging from 0.47 to 0.95). The results suggest the positive impact of flipped spotters model on improving student's performance in the practical examinations.     

A strengths-based,culturally responsive family intervention improves Latino kindergarteners’ vocabulary and approaches to learning

Food routines are an ecocultural asset of Latino families. This cluster-randomized trial with 248 children (M_age = 67 months; 50% girls; 13 schools) investigated the impact of a 4-week family program designed to capitalize on food routines in improving Latino kindergarteners’ outcomes in the United States. There were moderate-to-large impacts on child vocabulary (especially food-related) at end-of-treatment and the 5-month follow-up, and suggestive evidence of moderate impacts on approaches to learning (ATL; including ATL math) and executive function at the 5-month follow-up (d = .38–.95). There were no statistically significant impacts on children's math or literacy skills. A strengths-based, culturally responsive family intervention that is integrated into Latino family life can improve the skills needed to succeed in school.