物质,反物质,万物之源

Scientists in Europe made an incredible announcement:they had produced not one,but tens of thousands of“anti-atoms,”atoms made entirely of antimatter.Thisresult rightly generated a good amount of publicity,butI was amused at the media’s reaction to the news.Whenever Isaw it mentioned,either on television or in papers,there al-ways seemed to be a picture of the starship Enterprise or someother science fiction-type image.     

Connected and culturally embedded beliefs: Chinese and US teachers talk about how their students best learn mathematics

This study compares US and Chinese elementary mathematics teachers' beliefs about how students learn mathematics. Interviews with teachers in each country revealed that Chinese and US teachers have distinct ways of thinking about how mathematics should be taught and how students learn. Many Chinese teachers talked about developing students’ interest in mathematics and relating the content of mathematics lessons to real-life situations. The US teachers talked about students' learning styles and using hands-on approaches to learning mathematics. Furthermore, these beliefs may be widespread and persistent within each country because the set of ideas among teachers appear to be internally consistent. Implications for teacher change and the study of teachers' beliefs are discussed.     

Investigating Preschoolers’ Categorical Thinking About Gender Through Imitation,Attention, and the Use of Self‐Categories

Whereas traditional theories of gender development have focused on individualistic paths, recent analyses have argued for a more social categorical approach to children’s understanding of gender. Using a modeling paradigm based on K. Bussey and A. Bandura (1984) , 3 experiments (N = 62, N = 32, and N = 64) examined preschoolers’ (M age = 52.9 months) imitation of, and memory for, behaviors of same‐sex and opposite‐sex children and adults. In all experiments, children’s imitation of models varied according to the emphasis given to the particular category of models, despite equal attention being paid to both categories. It is suggested that the categorical nature of gender, or age, informs children’s choice of imitative behaviors.     

Disciplinary approaches to assessment

Change in assessment practice in higher education tends to lag behind pedagogical change. Thinking about assessment practice is, in part, related to disciplinary thinking. In this study, 27 faculty members from a broad range of disciplines were interviewed about their conceptions of assessment to help understand the distinctions and priorities of four main categories of disciplines. We uncover why university instructors may be resistant to changes in assessment practice if they perceive them not to support their disciplinary priorities.     

The influence of sociocultural and structural contexts in academic change and development in higher education

Teaching quality improvements frequently focus upon the ‘development’ of individual academics in higher education. However, research also shows that the academics’ context has considerable influence upon their practices. This study examines the working environments of teachers on an online pharmacy programme, investigating contextual conditions that facilitate or impede academic change and development. Interview data and institutional policy documents are examined within a Cultural-Historical Activity Theory framework. Distinct differences in the teachers’ sociocultural context were identified as influencing change and development. Departmental teaching cultures and patterns of communication influenced practice both positively, by offering collegial support, and negatively by impeding change. The findings have significance for academic development strategies. They suggest that departmental-level support should include communicative pathways that promote reflection upon and development of conceptions of teaching and learning.     

WISE Inquiry in Fifth Grade Biology

This paper reports on a two year study designed to investigate how a Web-Based Integrated Science Environment (WISE) project called Plants in Space featuring classroom investigations can enable fifth grade students to increase their understanding of plant growth and development. A multidisciplinary partnership consisting of teachers, scientists, science education researchers, and technology specialists developed this project, tested it in fifth grade, modified it based on the data collected in year one and tested it again. We investigate these two versions of the curriculum and consider how understanding of the material improved with the revised curriculum.Participants were fifth grade students and a fifth grade teacher who was a co-developer of the curriculum and participated in the re-design process at an urban elementary school. An identical pre- and a post-subject matter assessment was administered to all students each year. Interviews and students' in-class work helped clarify the results. Overall, students made significant gains in understanding standards-based science concepts including photosynthesis.     

Shifting goal posts: the impact of academic workforce reshaping and the introduction of teaching academic roles on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This qualitative study reports on findings from interviews with ten academics in an Australian university six to twelve months following academic workforce reshaping and the widespread introduction of teaching academic roles. The research aimed to determine how the workforce reshaping impacted on the capacity of academics with teaching responsibilities to engage in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Findings indicate that whilst academics were willing to undertake SoTL, participants’ capacity to engage was hampered by the workload model, middle academic leaders’ capacity to define and lead SoTL, and a perceived lack of SoTL value. A major concern for participants was that shifting goal posts (in relation to roles and expectations) would make it difficult to successfully apply for future academic work. The research indicates the need for the sector to consider the selection criteria for middle leadership roles, as well as ongoing academic leadership development to support adaptability and change agility.