视角

为进一步增加《英语沙龙·阅读版》的可读性和与广大读者的互动，本刊从今年起增设一纯英语栏目“专家在线”，并特邀加拿大人Brad Franklin主持本栏目。Brad是一位年近70的加拿大老先生，曾经长期担任电台播音员，后长期在政府部门从事公共关系方面的工作，还曾在中国当过外教，游览过中国的很多地方。“专家在线”栏目设有两个专栏：视角、与Brad对话。前者是Brad和他的夫人Wendy写的一些有关生活感悟、旅游见闻、时事见解等方面的随笔文章；后者由Brad与市刊读者以电子邮件对话的形式进行交流．就大家来信提出的学习和日常生活中遇到的种种问题（成长的烦恼）谈谈看法，同时也以长者的身份提出一些建议。广大读者如有什么问题或想法要与Brad对话，可以通过contriprim@gmail．com和askbrad@shaw．ca这两个信箱与Brad用英语交流，本刊将酌情选登一些读者的来信及Brad的答复。     

Uncovering students’ thinking about thinking using concept maps

A method for uncovering students’ thinking about thinking, specifically their meta-strategic knowledge, is explored within the context of an ongoing, multi-year intervention designed to promote the development of students’ thinking dispositions. The development of a concept-map instrument that classroom teachers can use and an analytic framework for interpreting students’ responses is presented. In a preliminary study, the concept map instrument is piloted to evaluate changes in students’ conceptions of thinking after a year’s participation in classrooms where their teachers actively sought to make thinking more visible by noticing and naming the thinking observed as well as introducing and using thinking routines (Ritchhart and Perkins. Educational Leadership, 65(5), 57–61 2008). Concept maps from 239 students from grades 3 through 11 were analyzed. Results suggest that students’ conceptions of thinking do improve with age but also can be substantially developed through a classroom culture where thinking is modeled and rich opportunities for thinking are present. The concept map instrument itself proved to be a robust instrument for uncovering students’ thinking about thinking.     

The impact of action learning: what difference are we making in the world?

Involvement in a number of action-learning programmes and associated development opportunities has led the Professional Development Centre Limited to question the relevance of a strict adherence to the ‘rules’ of action learning as described by Reg Revans. A deliberate focus of one such programme to a financial services organisation offered some insights into the challenges of introducing action learning into the field. Pressures on organisations of time and business expedients might make them believe that action learning is too slow a technique to offer real rewards. However, elements of the action-learning story do resonate in the workplace, key concepts that appear to ‘stick’ are listening, questioning and equality. The utilisation of these skills enhances leadership and organisational development and can still provide a useful set of actions to aim for. This is especially true in problem solving and the way in which respect and equality can re-create a different environment or development space.     

Serving‐Maids and Literacy: an approach to teaching literacy through history and music

This paper examines the close relationship between literacy and history in terms of the processes of historical enquiry and the literary outcomes of the historian’s work. It highlights the rich resource which historical documents represent for the primary classroom in a wide range of genres, and suggests that such documents can be used in their original form with all ability ranges. The means by which this can be done is presented in a case study of an integrated approach to teaching history, literacy and music, in a Year 6 class. The key to the success of the reading and writing activities was the use of varied teaching approaches including storytelling, drama, singing and discusssion as ways into challenging texts. The children used the concept of time and the listing of jobs as organisers for their extended writing. The careful scaffolding through text‐marking and the recording grid, as well as the emotions stimulated through the texts and activities, ensured success for all the children. The study emphasises the links between these genuine historical tasks, and activities in the National Literacy Strategy and suggests how music might be successfully integrated.     

Dream Big: Exploring Empowering Processes of DREAM Act Advocacy in a Focal State

This original, qualitative research analyzed in-depth interviews with five undocumented, college-age, Latino DREAM Act advocates in a single state. An organizational empowerment framework was utilized to explore processes allied with such advocacy. Four emergent themes transcended the data inductively: (1) Challenging Social Injustice, which pertains to participant motivations for involvement; (2) Inherent Connection, which pertains to the unique personal experiences among DREAM-ers; (3) Combatting Internalized Stigma, which pertains to overcoming the shame or embarrassment of an undocumented identity; and (4) Civic Literacy, which pertains to political proficiencies that participants acquired throughout their DREAM Act involvement. Implications are discussed.     

Reshaping academic capitalism to meet development priorities: the case of public universities in Kenya

As colleges and universities have adopted a corporate model in recent decades, debate over the public versus private good associated with higher education has surged. The deliberations have typically been entrenched in Western notions about academia’s contributions to development and scholars have framed academic capitalism dichotomously; a force for good or evil. Far less is known about the market model of higher education in developing nations. We sought to explore this gap by examining how faculty and staff at two public universities in Africa view the intersection of marketization and development.     

Protecting Our Earth

毫不夸张地说,地球上的每个人都为我们共同居住的环境造成了某种程度的压力。看看人类为这个地球做了什么:砍伐森林、捕食动物、丢弃对环境有害的废弃物……。事实虽然很讽刺,但我们不得不承认:正是人类,这个创造了世界文明并推进社会发展的群体,才是最需要对我们赖以生存的星球负责的人。现在开始醒悟还来得及,你还在等什么?     

自行车——最环保的交通工具(英文)

人类历史发展至今,已经脱离了刀耕火种的原始生存状态,步入了一段前所未有的文明时期。人类利用日渐发达的聪明才智,制造出汽车、飞机等交通工具,并登上了月球,在火星和深遂的海洋中安排机器人进行勘测……然而,随着这种文明的发展,也出现了很多环境问题。既然历史的车轮无法让我们再回到从前简单的生活方式当中,就只有认识且反省人类曾经对环境犯下的错误,并在将来的日子里竭力纠正——无论这是一项多么艰巨的任务。     

Making Friends with Foreigners on the Internet

交个外国网友到底靠不靠谱？友谊在他们心中又占多大份量？这些问题一直在困扰着Rose。身为加拿大人的Brad会给她什么样的建议？