Mathematical discussion and perspective drawing in primary school

The aim of this paper is to analyse the functions of semiotic mediation in a long term teaching experiment on the plane representation of three-dimensional space by means of perspective drawing, that has been tried out from grade 2 to grade 5 in three different classrooms within the research project Mathematical Discussion. On the one side, drawing has a functional role in the overall development of the child; on the other side, perspective drawing has a phenomenological role in the genesis of modern geometry. The experiment aims at connecting (1) pupils' spatial experiences to the development of the geometry of three-dimensional space and (2) pupils' drawing experiences to the geometry of two-dimensional space, up to the mastery of early geometrical strategies of plane representation of space. Classroom activity alternates individual problems and classroom discussions orchestrated by the teacher. The paper is divided into several parts: after a brief introduction containing some contextual information (§§ 1, 2), the problem of the social construction of knowledge is addressed and some theoretical constructs mainly borrowed from the Vygotskian school are elaborated (§ 3); then two analyses of the experiment are made, according to the motives of activity (§ 4) and to the sequence of actions (§ 5); finally the role of semiotic mediation in the whole experiment is analysed (§ 6); in the final section (§ 7) some results are recapitulated and compared with the literature on the teaching and learning of geometry and the function of semiotic mediation is discussed with reference to the other distinctive features of the teaching experiment.     

Developing and sustaining an educative mentoring model of STEM teacher professional development through collaborative partnership

In this paper, we present details of a partnership undertaken by four universities with field-based, alternative STEM teacher preparation programs and a large urban school district to provide ongoing professional support for teachers serving as mentors for individuals preparing for careers in high-poverty schools. We also present key findings related to our implementation of an educative mentoring professional learning community (PLC) as a professional development (PD) model for these mentors. Our analysis reveals that mentors as well as candidates identified the PD program as addressing their specific interests and concerns, and that they were regularly and deeply engaged with key activities that were part of each session’s agenda. These findings signal how key elements of PD workshops can contribute to creating and sustaining a local but replicable PLC utilizing an educative mentoring model to support mentors and the future teachers whom they support.     

Observational studies about novices interacting in a Prolog environment based on tools

This paper examines the general issues related to the interaction of novices in a Prolog environment based on tools to support both the operational and the declarative aspects of the language. The tools are based on graphical representations for the Prolog program and for Prolog execution of programs. This research aims to investigate how students come to understand and integrate these different views of Prolog and how the tools affect their understanding of the language.Observations conducted during this study show that the novices had an initial conceptual model of the virtual machine. Such models guided their interpretation of the Prolog program and of the behavior of the machine. Their misunderstandings may be interpreted as having resulted from their current models. These models evolved during their interaction within the environment. The type of feedback created by the tools provided changes in the students perspective related to the knowledge being represented (program) and the interlocutor in the process (virtual machine), which led them to the construction of the conceptual model of the language.     

Technical teacher training in Greece: trends,concerns and innovative attempts

Any attempt to upgrade the status of a profession will focus on the qualification required and acquired by those who practice it. The technical teacher profession is no exception. This paper provides an analysis of trends and concerns associated with the initial training of technical teachers in Greece. The tone for the discussion is set by pointing out the role of higher education in the field and the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the two models in use. The curricular pathways the models aspire to offer are examined with reference to the School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE), the sole higher institution in Greece for the education and training of teachers of technical and vocational subjects. Central to this is how the teaching practice system employed at ASPETE offers a powerful ‘tool’ for the preparation of prospective technical teachers and of the ‘learning’ professionals of the future.

Toute tentative de révision à la hausse du statut d'une profession se concentrera sur les qualifications requises et acquises par ceux qui la pratiquent. La profession de professeur de technique ne fait pas exception à la règle. Le texte offre une analyse des orientations et préoccupations associées avec la formation initiale des professeurs de technique en Grèce. Dans un premier temps, le ton de la discussion est fixé en soulignant le rôle que joue le système d'enseignement supérieur au sein du milieu ainsi que les forces et faiblesses des deux modèles utilisés. Les avenues pédagogiques que les modèles aspirent à offrir sont examinées en référence avec l'Ecole Supérieure d'Enseignement Pédagogique et Technologique (ASPETE), la seule institution d'études supérieures qui soit vouée à l'éducation et à la formation d'enseignants spécialisés en matières techniques. Un aspect central de cette étude concerne la façon dont le système de pratique à l'enseignement utilisé à l'ASPETE offre un outil important pour la préparation des futurs enseignants en technique, ou encore pour la préparation des professionnels ‘en apprentissage’ de l'avenir.

Todo intento de aumentar de nivel el status de una profesión, se enfoca en las cualidades requeridas y adquiridas por quienes la practican. La profesión del profesor técnico no es una excepción. Este articulo analiza tendencias y preocupaciones asociadas a la educación inicial de profesores técnicos en Grecia. Se establece el panorama para la discusión, puntualizando el papel de la educación superior en el tema, así como las fortalezas y debilidades que se perciben en cada uno de los dos modelos en aplicación. El camino curricular que los modelos intentan ofrecer, son examinados con referencia a la Escuela de Educación Pedagógica y Tecnológica (ASPETE), la única institución superior en Grecia dedicada a la educación y formación de profesores en materias técnicas y vocacionales. Es esencial para esto, cómo el sistema de práctica de la enseñanza aplicado por ASPETE, ofrece una herramienta poderosa para la formación de los futuros profesores técnicos o, en cambio, los profesionales del futuro que ‘aprenden’.

Jeder Versuch einen beruflichen Qualitätsstandard zu verbessern, wird sich auf die erforderliche und erworbene Qualifikation derjenigen konzentrieren, die den entsprechenden Beruf ausüben.Der Beruf des Techniklehrers macht da keine Ausnahme. Dieses Papier liefert eine Analyse von wesentlichen Aspekten der Erstausbildung von Techniklehrern in Griechenland und deren aktuellen Trends.Der Tenor der Diskussion wird durch den Hinweis auf die Rolle der Hochschulausbildung in diesem Bereich geprägt und durch die erkannten Stärken und Schwächen der beiden Ausbildungsmodelle, die zur Zeit in diesem Bereich angewandt werden.Die in den Modellen angebotenen curricularen Ausbildungsgänge werden unter Berücksichtigung der Situation an der Schule für Pädagogische und Technologische Ausbildung (ASPETE) untersucht. Die ASPETE ist die einzige Hochschuleinrichtung in Griechenland für die Ausbildung und Schulung von Lehrern von technischen und anderen berufsbildenden Fächern.Von zentraler Bedeutung für diesen Themenkomplex ist die Frage, inwieweit das ‘System der Begleiteten Praktischen Unterrichtserfahrung’, das an der ASPETE zur Anwendung kommt, eine effizientes ‘Instrument’ für die Vorbereitung der angehenden Techniklehrer ist, oder anders gesagt, für die ‘sich ständig selber weiterbildenden’ Ausbilder der Zukunft.     

Attitudes towards sexuality information for adolescents: what parents should and should not say

The goal of this study was to investigate the attitudes of Colombians with respect to what can and what must not be said to young people of different ages and genders regarding sexuality. A convenience sample of 329 adults, aged 18–64 years, living in Bogotá participated in the study. They were presented with a set of 36 vignettes describing situations in which either a young girl or a young boy seemed to be concerned about sexuality and sexual relationships. Each scenario contained three items of information: the child’s gender, age and the parent’s decision (e.g. not to say anything regarding sexuality). Through cluster analysis, seven qualitatively different sets of attitudes were found. The five most common ones were: (i) it is never appropriate to talk about sexual matters (6%); (ii) delegate this responsibility to the school nurse (4%); (iii) provide incomplete information restricted to the biology of sexuality (11%); (iv) provide comprehensive information but with a recommendation of abstinence (28%); and (v) provide comprehensive information and a recommendation of pre-marital sexual experience (36%). Although it was expected that attitudes would vary as a function of the young person’s gender and age, such variations proved to be limited in their extent.     

Cognitive styles, cultural pluralism and effective teaching and learning

In a pluralistic society, there is a need for increased sensitivity in the selection of teaching styles. This paper considers evidence which shows that future responses to teaching and learning style are determined in pre-school years by the child's socio-cultural environment. The teaching methods in common use in Britain, however, presuppose cognitive styles current in white middle-class culture, which may be inappropriate to children from other backgrounds. While some will respond only to co-operative, social methods, others will act analytically and competitively. Factors of social class are also considered. The paper argues that curriculum, methodology and materials should allow all children to identify with the educational process, and should enable them eventually to function bi-cognitively. Teachers will therefore need to recognize the range of cognitive and learning styles among their pupils.

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Zusammenfassung In einer pluralistischen Gesellschaft ist mehr Sensitivität in der Auswahl von Lehrstilen nötig. In diesem Bericht werden Belege berücksichtigt, die zeigen, daß künftige Reaktionen auf Lehr- und Lernrichtungen bereits in den Vorschuljahren durch das soziokulturelle Umfeld des Kindes geprägt werden. Die in Großbritannien üblichen Lehrmethoden gehen jedoch von den in einer weißen mittelständischen Kultur vorherrschenden kognitiven Stilen aus, die für Kinder anderer kultureller Hintergründer ungeeignet sind. Reagieren die einen nur auf kooperative, soziale Methoden, handeln die anderen analytisch und kompetitiv. Der Verfasser vertritt die Auffassung, daß sowohl das Curriculum als auch die Methodologie und die Materialien allen Kindern erlauben sollten, sich mit dem Erziehungsprozeß zu identifizieren und schließlich bikognitiv zu agieren. Lehrer sollten daher den Umfang der kognitiven und lernbezogenen Stilrichtungen ihrer Schüler erkennen können.

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Résumé Une société pluraliste nécessite une sensibilité plus grande lors de la sélection de modes d'enseignement. Le présent article examine les faits qui montrent que les réactions futures au style d'enseignement et d'apprentissage sont déterminées au cours de la période préscolaire par l'environnement socio-culturel de l'enfant. Les méthodes d'enseignement utilisées communément en Grande-Bretagne présupposent des styles cognitifs courants dans une culture blanche de classe moyenne, qui peuvent être incompatibles avec la situation d'enfants issus d'autres milieux. Tandis que certains ne réagiront qu'à des méthodes coopératives et sociales, d'autres agiront de manière analytique et compétitive. On étudie également les facteurs sociaux. Cet article soutient que les programmes éducatifs, la méthodologie et les matériels devraient permettre à tous les enfants de s'identifier avec le processus éducatif et de fonctionner éventuellement de manière bi-cognitive. Les enseignants devront par conséquent reconnaître la diversité des styles cognitifs et d'apprentissage parmi les élèves.... teachers may be knowledgeable, charismatic, dramatic, hardworking, caring and dedicated, and still not be effective with students whose learning styles are not complemented by their teaching styles. (Dunn and Dunn, 1979, p. 241).

     

Comparative education as a field in Asia: retrospect and prospect

Comparative education in Asia is witnessing changing discourses, structural opportunities, and invigorated leadership. This article will review the institutionalization of comparative education in Asia from a sociological perspective, drawing on Bourdieu’s theory on the logic of social practice. After giving an overview of the historical roots of Asian comparative education, I will describe broadly its landscape noting developments in the last two decades since 1995, the foundational year of the Comparative Education Society of Asia (CESA). Four main themes are explored: comparative education teaching, professional societies, research centres, and specialist publications. With a baseline understanding of the infrastructures of the field in Asia and the power dynamics that shape them, I will propose an agenda for Asian comparative education to offer meaningful contributions to multipolar knowledge production in the field. Priority themes and directions will be highlighted to articulate a stronger Asian voice and leadership in an increasingly diverse and uncertain world.     

Knowledge and power in the technology classroom: a framework for studying teachers and students in action

The purpose of this paper is to develop and illustrate an analytical framework for exploring how relations between knowledge and power are constituted in science and technology classrooms. In addition, the empirical purpose of this paper is to explore how disciplinary knowledge and knowledge-making are constituted in teacher–student interactions. In our analysis we focus on how instances of teacher–student interaction can be understood as simultaneously contributing to meaning-making and producing power relations. The analytical framework we have developed makes use of practical epistemological analysis in combination with a Foucauldian conceptualisation of power, assuming that privileging of educational content needs to be understood as integral to the execution of power in the classroom. The empirical data consists of video-recorded teaching episodes, taken from a teaching sequence of three 1-h lessons in one Swedish technology classroom with sixteen 13–14 years old students. In the analysis we have identified how different epistemological moves contribute to the normalisation and exclusion of knowledge as well as ways of knowledge-making. Further, by looking at how the teacher communicates what counts as (ir)relevant knowledge or (ir)relevant ways of acquiring knowledge we are able to describe what kind of technology student is made desirable in the analysed classroom.