唯一不变的就是改变

如今我们都开始使用iPad,可见技术是不断变化的,或者说技术的变化是不可避免的。但业内的人们,让我看到更多的是恐惧。他们并不是担心经济,而是对技术的恐惧。究竟为什么会产生恐惧呢?其实人们不是对     

Using student-generated questions for student-centred assessment

In small groups, medical students were involved in generating questions to contribute to an online item bank. This study sought to support collaborative question‐writing and enhance students’ metacognitive abilities, in particular, their ability to self‐regulate learning and moderate understanding of subject material. The study focused on supporting students to write questions requiring higher order cognitive processes. End‐of‐year formal examinations comprised 25% student‐generated questions (SGQs), while mid‐year examination items were completely unseen. Data were gathered from repeated administration of a questionnaire and from examination results. No statistically significant changes were identified in self‐rated monitoring of understanding and regulation of learning. The activity of generating questions supported students to work collaboratively in developing questions and answers. The bank of questions was appreciated by students as a source of revision material, even though it was not strongly focused on higher order processes. Based on scores, it would appear that many students chose to memorise the question bank as a ‘high‐yield’ strategy for mark inflation, paradoxically favouring surface rather than deep learning. The study has not identified directly improvements in metacognitive capacity and this is an area for further investigation. Continual refinement of the study method will be undertaken, with an emphasis on education of students in developing questions addressing higher order cognitive processes. Although students may have memorised the questions and answers, there is no evidence that they do not understand the information.     

Personality Traits of Women in Team Sports vs. Women in Individual Sports

Abstract

The problem under investigation was to determine if were distinguishing personality traits when women who compete in team sports were compared to women who compete in individual sports. The subjects were chosen from a selected group of 156 women AAU athletes and the 1964 United States Olympic team. Those women who agreed to take part in the study were sent a copy of Form A of the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, which was the instrument used to measure selected personality factors. Differences between groups were analyzed by means of the t test.

The results indicated that women athletes who compete in individual sports rated higher on the personality factors of dominance, adventurousness, sensitivity, introversion, radicalism, and self-sufficiency and lower on the factor of sophistication when compared to women athletes who compete in team sports. No differences were found in the factors of sociability, intelligence, stability, surgency, conscientiousness, suspecting, guilt-proneness, high self-sentiment, or high ergic tension.     

Revolution at the Library Service Desk

ABSTRACT

This article will describe how a revolution in customer service provision beginning in 2002 has led to an evolution of library services. When the reference and circulation desks were merged to create a single service point, responsibilities were broadened, core competencies were developed, and staff members were cross trained. In 2005, an analysis of staffing and work patterns demonstrated a need to build upon the original model to better utilize staff and ensure coverage of the desk. Reference librarians were moved to “on call” status, technical services staff were added to the schedule, and core competencies and procedures were refined.     

Quantitative Reasoning in Environmental Science: A learning progression

The ability of middle and high school students to reason quantitatively within the context of environmental science was investigated. A quantitative reasoning (QR) learning progression was created with three progress variables: quantification act, quantitative interpretation, and quantitative modeling. An iterative research design was used as it is the standard method for the development of learning progressions. The learning progression was informed by interviews of 39 middle and high school students from 5 schools in the Western USA using QR assessments. To inform the lower anchor, intermediate levels, and upper anchor of achievement for the QR learning progression, an extensive review of the literature on QR was conducted. A learning progression framework was then hypothesized. To confirm the framework, three QR assessments within the context of environmental literacy were constructed. The interviews were conducted using these QR assessments. The results indicated that students do not actively engage in quantitative discourse without prompting and display a low level of QR ability. There were no consistent increases on the QR learning progression either across grade levels or across scales of micro/atomic, macro, and landscape.     

From Doing to Learning: Changed focus during a pre-school learning study project on organic decomposition

We explored the use of the learning study (LS) model in developing Swedish pre-school science learning. This was done by analysing a 3-cycle LS project implemented to help a group of pre-school teachers (n?=?5) understand their science educational practice, by collaboratively and systematically challenging it. Data consisted of video recordings of 1 screening (n?=?7), 1 initial planning meeting, 3 analysis meetings, 3 interventions, and 78 individual test interviews with the children (n?=?26). The study demonstrated that the teachers were initially uncomfortable with using scientific concepts and with maintaining the children's focus on the object of learning without framing it with play. During the project, we noted a shift in focus towards the object of learning and how to get the children to discern it. As teachers’ awareness changed, enhanced learning was noted among the children. The study suggests that the LS model can promote pre-school science learning as follows: by building on, re-evaluating, and expanding children's experiences; and by helping the teachers focus on and contrast critical aspects of an object of learning, and to reflect on the use of play, imagination, and concepts and on directing the children's focus when doing so. Our research showed that the LS model holds promise to advance pre-school science learning by offering a theoretical tool useable to shift the focus from doing to learning while teaching science using learning activities.     

Multiple Representation in Learning About Evaporation

There has been extensive research on children’s understanding of evaporation, but representational issues entailed in this understanding have not been investigated in depth. This study explored three students’ engagement with science concepts relating to evaporation through various representational modes, such as diagrams, verbal accounts, gestures, and captioned drawings. This engagement entailed students (a) clarifying their thinking through exploring representational resources; (b) developing understanding of what these representations signify; and (c) learning how to construct representational aspects of scientific explanation. The study involved a sequence of classroom lessons on evaporation and structured interviews with nine children, and found that a focus on representational challenges provided fresh insights into the conceptual task involved in learning science. The findings suggest that teacher‐mediated negotiation of representational issues as students construct different modal accounts can support enriched learning by enabling both (a) richer conceptual understanding by students; and (b) enhanced teacher insights into students’ thinking.     

Siblings,Theory of Mind,and Executive Functioning in Children Aged 3–6 Years: New Longitudinal Evidence

Longitudinal data were obtained from 157 children aged 3 years 3 months to 5 years 6 months at Time 1. At Time 2 these children had aged an average of 12 months. Theory of mind (ToM) and executive functioning (EF) were measured at both time points. Results suggest that Time 1 ToM scores predict Time 2 EF scores. Detailed examination of sibling influences suggests that benefits—in terms of advanced ToM development—accrue to children with siblings versus without, and to those with a larger number of child‐aged siblings. Any advance in either area (ToM or EF) is likely to benefit the other, and early sibling interaction appears to act as a catalyst.