Support Teams in New Zealand Schools: A National Survey of Establishment and Practice

Two and a half years after the initial funding allocation for teacher release hours to establish Support Teacher positions in New Zealand schools, 63 (91%) of the schools with a Support Teacher funding allocation completed a questionnaire on the establishment of the position in the school. Information derived from the questionnaire included qualifications and experience of teachers appointed to the role of Support Teacher, and detail regarding the establishment, practice, and degree of adherence to the Support Team model of operation. Significant difficulties with Support Team establishment and program adherence are reported, notably in selection, training, organizational support, and form of service delivery. The results are discussed in terms of the speed of drift from the model, differences between primary and secondary schools in implementation of the program, the importance of training, and the presence of an active Support Team Management Committee in ensuring effective service delivery.     

l'Utilisation De La Télévision Scolaire Au Niger,En Côte d'Ivoire Et Au Sénégal

Conclusion Les limites de cet article ne permettent de tirer que quelques conclusions d'ordre très général. On peut remarquer tout d'abord que ces opérations demeurent trop peu connues et que l'ignorance tant de leurs caractéristiques que de leurs résultats pédagogiques, ne permet pas d'effacer les opinions négatives erronées qui continuent à être émises à leur sujet. Elles ont mis en évidence le bien fondé d'une approche globalisante, considérant la mise en place d'un véritable système original (et non l'adjonction au système traditionnel d'un élément supplémentaire, comme ce fut presque toujours le cas dans les pays du Nord), fondé sur l'usage de longues séries d'émissions, cohérentes et à fort taux de redondance. Elles ont enfin relevé l'importance déterminante du ‘facteur humain’ à tous les niveaux de l'entreprise qu'il s'agisse de l'adhésion des divers publics concernés, de la cohésion d'équipes, ou, problème qui ne fut jamais résolu convenablement, de la formation des nouveaux spécialistes requis par ces projets.     

Problem length as a structural variable in verbal arithmetic problems

Of five structural variables that in previous studies accounted for a significant amount of the observed variance in the error rate in verbal arithmetic problems, the length variable (number of words in the problem statement) apparently was more important in the upper grades than in the lower grades. In this study three forms of a verbal problem set in which the number of words in the problem statements were systematically varied were administered to classes of students in Grades 4–9. Using regression analysis, the investigator found that although the length variable did not measure a significant amount of variance between two of the forms, with the third it did.This study was begun while the author was a staff member of The Institute for Mathematical Studies in the Social Sciences at Stanford University. The research was partially supported by National Science Foundation grant G18709.     

The Phenomenology of Space in Writing Online

In this paper we explore the phenomenon of writing online. We ask, 'Is writing by means of online technologies affected in a manner that differs significantly from the older technologies of pen on paper, typewriter, or even the word processor in an off-line environment?' In writing online, the author is engaged in a spatial complexity of physical, temporal, imaginal, and virtual experience: the writing space, the space of the text, cyber space, etc. At times, these may provide a conduit to a writerly understanding of human phenomena. We propose that an examination of the phenomenological features of online writing may contribute to a more pedagogically sensitive understanding of the experiences of online seminars, teaching and learning.     

中澳美的经济变革与数学课程改革方向

世界经济结构正经历巨大的转型,具体表现为农业所占GDP的比例显著下降,而制造业,尤其是服务业则不断提高.中国、澳大利亚与美国是3个具有代表性的国家,经济上的这种变化对教育以及数学课程都产生了影响,反映了当今社会中对人们所需的"数学素养"的全新要求.中国、澳大利亚与美国义务教育阶段国家级数学课程都强调了"统计思想"与"关系性思维"这两个重要内容.     

Student‐Generated Pre‐Exam Questions is an Effective Tool for Participatory Learning: A Case Study from Ecology of Waterborne Pathogens Course

This multiyear study helps elucidate how the instructional practice of student‐generated questions support learning in a blended classroom in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects. Students designed multiple‐choice pre‐exam questions aimed at higher levels of learning, according to Bloom's taxonomy. Student‐generated questions were edited by the instructor and then discussed by the students in the classroom and in an online forum. We tested the hypothesis that this intervention improves student learning, measured as student achievement on the exam following the intervention, and compared to student achievement on the traditional exam (prior to which a review session focused on instructor‐led recitation of the key concepts). Following the intervention in all years, average grade on the post‐intervention exam increased by 7.44%. It is important to point out that not all students benefited equally from this activity. Students who were in the 4th quintile (60% to 80%) based on the results of the 1st exam demonstrated the highest achievement improving their performance on average by 12.37% percentage points (measured as a score on the 2nd exam). Gains were not observed in the semesters when the intervention was not implemented. In this study we provided students detailed instructions on how to design questions that focus on testing higher levels of learning.     

西方教师知识研究发展的专业化路径

教师专业发展已经越来越被视为决定教育改革成效的重要因素,教师知识是教师专业化中需考虑的重要内容.舒尔曼最早提出教师的学科教学知识后,研究者形成了不同的教师知识研究的理论框架.西方对教师知识的研究经历了三个关键的发展阶段:区别教师的知识与学科专家的知识,这使得对教师专业化的讨论成为可能;关注具体教学内容的特定知识,对教师专业化的研究具有了具体内容;关注官方课程知识,对教师专业化的研究关注教师的日常教学工作.教师知识研究的发展路径体现出了教师专业化的不断深入.对教师知识研究的专业化路径的探讨有利于进一步促进教师专业化发展,并最终服务于教育改革.