What Do You Know about Alternative Energy? Development and Use of a Diagnostic Instrument for Upper Secondary School Science

The need for renewable and non-fossil fuels is now recognised by nations throughout the world. Consequently, an understanding of alternative energy is needed both in schools and in everyday life-long learning situations. This study developed a two-tier instrument to diagnose students' understanding and alternative conceptions about alternative energy in terms of: sources of alternative energy, greenhouse gas emission, as well as advantages, and disadvantages. Results obtained with Years 10 and 11 students (n?=?491) using the 12-item two-tier instrument (α?=?0.61) showed that students' understanding of alternative energy was low (M?=?7.03; SD?=?3.90). The 23 alternative conceptions about alternative energy sources that could be identified from the instrument are reported. The implications for teaching and learning about alternative energy and suggestions for further development and improvement of the instrument are presented.     

Teachers' stories of children coping with family situations and family changes: a Hong Kong hybrid case

This paper examines teachers' stories of children's coping with changing family situations such as divorce or family separation which can induce discontinuities in their lives. Using the case of Hong Kong, a place where ‘East meets West’ in cultures and family relationships, this paper argues for the use of the concept of hybridities in understanding the experiences of children in changing family situations. Teachers' stories show that children in changing family situations are facing new kinds of difficulties from the mixing of modern family forms and traditional family values. Implications to teacher education, policy and practice are suggested.     

Interaction between the learners’ initial grasp of the object of learning and the learning resource afforded

Two studies are reported in this paper. The object of learning in both is the economic principle of changes in price as a function of changes in the relative magnitude of changes in demand and supply. The patterns of variation and invariance, defining the conditions compared were built into pedagogical tools (text, graphs, and worksheets). The first study is the latest in a series of studies aiming to test the fundamental conjecture of the Variation Theory of Learning that new meanings are acquired from experiencing differences against a background of sameness, rather than experiencing sameness against a background of differences. The study compares the learning outcomes under conditions consistent with the basic conjecture with the learning outcomes under conditions not consistent with the theory. The results support the conjecture. The second study shows, however, that the conditions that are consistent with the theory cannot be decided unless the learners’ pre-requisites for the task in question are taken into consideration. One set of the pedagogical tools was found to be highly effective for learners with a better initial grasp of the object of learning, while another set was found to be equally effective for learners with a weaker initial grasp of the object of learning. The two sets were equally ineffective when used for the “wrong” group of learners.     

雨水贮集设施之减洪效益选址研究

山坡地区遇上连日暴雨时,不但引起土壤冲蚀和山崩,更易造成径流集中,使洪峰径流量大幅增加,带来下游地区严重洪水及泥沙灾害。而雨水贮集可以有效的减少径流量,进而达到防洪减灾的效果,所收集来的雨水也可以做进一步的利用,如农田灌溉,或者引至社区作为浇花、洗车、冲厕等用途,达到水资源的有效利用。该研究选择汐止市为仿真对象,利用地理信息系统(GIS)及农业非点源污染模式(AGNPS)仿真分析出合适的雨水贮集设施设置地点。该研究设计在一定的径流量、输沙量、及坡度等适合设置雨水贮集设施限制条件,利用AGNPS的特性,由计算机筛选出符合限制条件的地点。一共在研究区526个方格中找到36个方格符合设置雨水贮集设施的地点,这些方格绝大部分都分布在集水区的上游地区。因此确信可以利用AGNPS模式来做为自动选址的方法,以节省大量的人力、物力及时间。     

Informed learning design: teaching and learning through engagement with information

ABSTRACT

While higher education teachers are able to use information in sophisticated ways to learn and communicate within their disciplines, they may not be accustomed to teaching their students to use information creatively and reflectively to support their work in a course. This article introduces informed learning design, a curriculum design model by which teachers specifically enable students to learn course content through intentional engagement with information. Drawing from informed learning pedagogy and the variation theory of learning, the design model outlines an instructional pattern for enabling student awareness of critical aspects and features of the object being studied related to both information use and course content.     

Educating pre‐service teachers for a sustainable environment

The paper reports on an initiative to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for a sustainable environment. The initiative involved the training of pre‐service teachers to not only be aware of, or know about environmental problems and want to act for the environment, but also to be able to act for the environment. Small group community problem solving projects illustrate the nature of environmental community problems that could be acted upon. The process of the projects, including how the pre‐service teachers identified the community problems and conducted the projects, is described. Outcomes of the projects including reflections about what the pre‐service teachers have learnt in being involved with the projects show the nature of capacity building efforts possible to work towards a sustainable environment. Lessons learnt from the involvement in community problem solving projects are also highlighted.     

儒家文化对认知发展的影响

本论文研究儒家文化对中国儿童认知发展有何影响。文献归类为几方面的研究：早期控制冲动的能力与日后学业成就的关系，言语能力与非言语能力的比较，创造力的培养，学业成就动机，成就动机与集体取向的关系，对学习成败的信念与归因，及学习方式与思维。证据表明儒家文化①强调把早期冲动控制的掌握作为日后学业成功的先决务件，②培育植根于集体主义倾向的学业成就动机，③把成功或失败归因于努力。其教学和学习的方式着重于记忆和重复练习，而不是鼓励发现、创造和元认知。     

Numeracy Abilities of Children in Grades 4 to 6 with Mild Intellectual Disability in Singapore

Mathematics is an important aspect of daily life. Basic numeracy skills are needed to accomplish everyday tasks. However, research regarding the relationship between cognitive ability, mental age, and basic numeracy skills for children with intellectual disability (ID) is scarce. This research study investigated the correlation between intellectual ability and the development of number sense and arithmetic abilities in individuals with ID. Thirty-two students from a special school for individuals with ID in Singapore participated in this research study. Based on the results, basic numeracy is more closely correlated to the mental ages of the students than their intelligence quotient. This finding will be discussed and suggestions for future research will be provided.     

Hybridity in a Guidance Curriculum in Hong Kong

This paper presents findings on a hybrid guidance curriculum in Hong Kong, a place where East meets West in education and in many other spheres. A qualitative case study method is applied that uses questions for understanding the ‘self’ in guidance but incorporates Confucian cardinal human relationships of parent–child, brother–sister, husband–wife, superior–subordinate, teacher–pupil and friend–friend in understanding the ‘other’ relationships. The study of ‘self–other relationship’ is combined with Lawton’s (Social change, educational theory and curriculum planning, Hodder, London, 1973) model of curriculum development in Western traditions. Data obtained from stakeholders in schools include traditional Chinese ideas as well as modern Western ideas. Implications of this framework to the study of other societies with a mix of Western and traditional cultures are discussed.