Teaching Science Effectively With Analogies: An Approach for Preservice and Inservice Teacher Education

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Changes in the Singapore University Student Demand since the Currency Crash

The purpose of this article is to detail what has happened to demand for overseas university education by Singaporeans since the economic crisis of 1997. Briefly stated, the demand for education has risen dramatically over the past year in Singapore, but fear of future economic conditions has caused prospective students to switch their target preferences. As most prospective students feel that they cannot afford to enrol in higher education course programmes in Europe and in North America, they are switching their allegiances to higher education systems and programmes in Australia and New Zealand. The real winners in the new market‐place are the international education institutions that have set up operations in Singapore. Schools that have a history of transnational offerings in Singapore have experienced large increases in enrolments, up to 300 per cent in some areas over the past year. These increases have been achieved without the sacrifice of any teaching quality.     

Learning to teach at the elbows: The tao of teaching

The metaphor learning to teach at the elbows is put forward in this article to highlight claims about learning to teach that focus on the development of “teaching manner.” My particular interest is in characterizing and understanding aspects of teaching that seem to be acquired, shared, mediated, and changed through teachers' work together—a shaping which I believe occurs initially through mimicry in the practice setting, and which in many cases appears to take place independent of rational deliberation. I ask “How do I understand this kind of learning?” and “How, then, do I then represent my work as a teacher educator?” These questions are explored in light of contemporary Western ideas about situated cognition, activity, and identity—ideas which are extended further in this paper by pointing out similar problems related to integrating knowing and action that are found in early Chinese philosophy. In particular, the dialogical relationship between Confucianism and Taoism provides a useful framework for understanding the studio interplay between learning as socio-culturally mediated activity and critical reflection in the initial preparation of teachers.     

Examining type I error and power for detection of differential item and testlet functioning

In this study, the effectiveness of detection of differential item functioning (DIF) and testlet DIF using SIBTEST and Poly-SIBTEST were examined in tests composed of testlets. An example using data from a reading comprehension test showed that results from SIBTEST and Poly-SIBTEST were not completely consistent in the detection of DIF and testlet DIF. Results from a simulation study indicated that SIBTEST appeared to maintain type I error control for most conditions, except in some instances in which the magnitude of simulated DIF tended to increase. This same pattern was present for the Poly-SIBTEST results, although Poly-SIBTEST demonstrated markedly less control of type I errors. Type I error control with Poly-SIBTEST was lower for those conditions for which the ability was unmatched to test difficulty. The power results for SIBTEST were not adversely affected, when the size and percent of simulated DIF increased. Although Poly-SIBTEST failed to control type I errors in over 85% of the conditions simulated, in those conditions for which type I error control was maintained, Poly-SIBTEST demonstrated higher power than SIBTEST.     

Why Do I Feel Awkward with Boys？

Cindy最近有件事很困惑．就是她一到男生面前,就变得很不自在．不知道怎样跟他们谈话交流。曾经自己还跟他们一起嬉笑玩耍,为什么现在却变得“扭捏”起来了？Cindy心中很是不解,Brad对此又有何建议？     

视角

纵使银丝爬上发梢,膝下绕了儿孙,68岁的Brad却从来没觉得自己老。他爱工作,爱运动．爱旅行．对生活有股年轻人都比不上的热情劲儿。这不．Brad又开始畅想起了未来……     

与Brad对话： Nobody Likes Me at School

Lavender很内向,在学校里也没有朋友。他感觉自己被同学们孤立了,非常苦恼,连想退学的心都有了。对此,Brad有什么建议呢？