Opportunities for professional learning dialogue generated by cross-phase collaboration in languages between primary and secondary initial teacher education students

School partnerships to manage transition between primary and secondary settings are well developed. However, studies show that some aspects of transition in Modern Languages leave much to be desired, as mentioned in a recently published report on KS3 provision ([Office for Standards in Education. 2015. “KS3: The Wasted Years?” https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-3-the-wasted-years]), even if the importance of a seamless continuum to manage change effectively is clearly emphasised by policy makers and advocated by research. Addressing transition issues entails considering a myriad of parameters. Government policy and ‘good practice’ cannot be implemented without consideration for school characteristics and teachers’ professional circumstances and areas of expertise. The focus of this article lies on uncovering opportunities for professional learning offered by cross-phase collaboration between primary and secondary students on initial teacher training programmes. Students took part in a small-scale project and they were challenged to work collaboratively and to co-plan and co-teach a lesson to primary school pupils. The project investigated outcomes of collaboration for professional learning. Data, both quantitative and qualitative, were collected through questionnaires. Results showed the impact of collaboration on students’ self-awareness and awareness of their colleagues’ areas of developing expertise as well as implications for professional practice.     

Extending classrooms through teacher collaboration in Virtual Learning Environments

ABSTRACT

This paper explores arrangements and conditions enabling and constraining teacher collaboration to extend classrooms through Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). It draws implications from a participatory action research project in three small, rural Finnish schools funded by the European Social Fund (2015–2017). Data were mainly collected through discussions and interviews with five teachers. The theory of practice architectures serves as a theoretical and analytical framework. The collaboration challenged and enabled cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social-political arrangements on three levels. On a classroom level, the VLE enabled new teaching practices (e.g., student collaboration, formative assessment). However, a lack of digital competence among teachers and students hindered the cross-classroom collaboration. On a school level, the school leaders enabled or constrained the arrangements depending on the provided support or lack thereof (e.g., schedules, faculty involvement). On a regional level, the infrastructure (e.g., transportation) for collaboration would require arrangements developed in dialogue with the schools (e.g., digital systems). The paper concludes that changing teaching practices in relation to VLEs requires slowly evolving previous and new architectures simultaneously on all three levels.     

Group trust,communication media,and interactivity: toward an integrated model of online collaborative learning

The present investigation examines the multidimensional relationships among several critical components in online collaborative learning, including group trust, communication media, and interactivity. Four hundred eleven university students from 103 groups in the United States responded survey items on online collaboration, interactivity, communication media, and group trust. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the relationships among these variables. Results revealed that trust among group members had a positive and powerful influence on online collaboration. Results further revealed that the influence of group trust on online collaboration was mediated by communication media and the interactivity among group members. These findings are discussed in the context of existing literature in the field. Practical implications and directions for future investigation are provided.     

College Science, Mathematics, and Methods Teaching Faculty Talk About Science and Mathematics: An Examination of Faculty Discourse in a Reform-Based Teacher Preparation Program

In this study discourse and conversation analyses were performed on talk by science and mathematics teaching faculty participating in reforming content courses for teacher candidates participating in a mathematics and science teacher preparation project (upper elementary and middle level). The context of the study was the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP), a National Science Foundation funded project in the USA. The study's goal was to explore the use of discourse and conversation analyses as ways to understand faculty beliefs concerning mathematics and science, two disciplines the MCTP project aimed to connect. Discussion focused on two areas: (1) the comparison of the discourse on science and mathematics by the science, mathematics, and pedagogy content specialists, and (2) the impact of collaboration on the science and mathematics teaching faculty's conversation on science and mathematics. An implication of this study is to promote the analysis of talk as way to inform and direct faculty transformation in science and mathematics teacher education programs. Future research is recommended.     

铬离子对泥鳅红细胞核异常的诱导

研究不同浓度及不同时间铬离子对泥鳅(Misgurnus anguilliaudatus)的血红细胞核异常的诱导作用。实验结果表明：铬离子对泥鳅红细胞核异常的诱导作用主要表现在引起核质外凸和核质内凹。多数试验组的核异常率高于对照组，显示铬离子对泥鳅红细胞的核异常具诱导作用。各试验组中泥鳅红细胞的核异常率呈一定的波动，在各时间段中随着时间的推移核异常率呈先升高后降低再升高的趋势；不同浓度的试验组诱导作用差异较大。     

大规模协作支持的 在线学习集体智慧生成路径研究

在线学习环境中,大规模群体通过深度交互,充分交织个体智慧,能生成具有重要价值的集体智慧。然而,在大规模协作实际运行中,群体协作和群体知识建构效果不佳,导致个体智慧孤立,集体智慧形成的基础薄弱。构建在线学习集体智慧生成路径(OCIG):以个体智慧为起点,在媒介供给、组织策略和社交互动的支持下,能实现个体参与群体协作,最终生成集体智慧。并依此设计大规模协作方案,进行实践与分析,结果表明:适切的媒介功能,为集体智慧生成提供技术保障;多样的组织结构,转变集体智慧生成方向;提供逐级的互动支架,能够提升集体智慧层次。     

New project system for undergraduate electronic engineering

A new approach to projects for undergraduate electronic engineering in an Australian university has been applied successfully for over 10 years. This approach has a number of projects running over three year period. Feedback from past graduates and their managers has confirmed that these projects train the students well, giving them the ability and confidence to work independently and collectively in the industrial world. Due to their importance to universities, staff and students alike, together with the potential heavy financial burden on the universities, careful planning has to be undertaken before implementing such projects. This paper presents some detailed suggestions on how such projects should be administered and operated as well as setting out possible criteria to assist supervisors in evaluating the final product from such projects.     

Citing as a sourcing practice: students’ citing self-selected online sources in their essays (Las citas como práctica del uso de las fuentes: las citas de fuentes en línea seleccionados por los estudiantes en sus trabajos)

ABSTRACT

This study examined upper secondary school students’ citations of self-selected online sources in their essays. Students (n = 140) conducted online inquiry about either effects of social media on people’s quality of life (SM) or allowance of genetic manipulation of organisms (GMO). Students, working either individually or in pairs, explored online sources with the help of a graphic organizer, after which they composed their essays. To capture the quality of citations identified in the essays, they were evaluated in terms of accuracy and richness of source features. Further, regression analysis was used to examine the effect of topic, grade level and work mode on the number and quality of citations. Results showed that students seldom cited sources in their essays, and when they did, citations were mostly accurate but less often rich in source features. When writing about SM, students most frequently cited media sources, while sources with ideological, political or religious motives were frequently cited in GMO essays. Students’ grades and work modes predicted the number of citations and number of accurate citations.     

阳离子鉴定实验中"异常"现象的探讨

在进行阳离子分析实验的操作时,由于实验中溶液介质的变化或外界环境的影响,使部分阳离子Bi3 、Cd2 、AsⅢ等鉴定实验出现"异常"现象,提出了如何得到正确实验现象和结论的具体措施.     

Characterizing cross-professional collaboration in research and development projects in secondary education

Collaboration between practitioners and researchers can increasingly be observed in research and development (R&D) projects in secondary schools. This article presents an analysis of cross-professional collaboration between teachers, school leaders and educational researchers and/or advisers as part of R&D projects in terms of three dimensions: reasons for collaboration, the division of roles and tasks, and the communication structure. Data were collected in interviews with participants from 12 Dutch projects, from documents and from meetings with participants. The results show that the parties involved can have the same reasons for cross-professional collaboration but that the external educational experts may also have additional objectives. Roles and tasks were divided in different ways, depending on who directs and guides the research and development, and whether teachers were involved as teacher researchers in the project. The communication structure appeared to be linked to the division of roles and tasks, but also to the number of participants in the project. The three dimensions proved to be valuable viewpoints to study cross-professional collaboration in R&D projects in Dutch secondary education. Furthermore, we distinguished four types of cross-professional collaboration in R&D projects. These types differ in the extent to which the school or the external party direct and guide the project: (a) School-directed collaboration; (b) School- and researcher-directed collaboration; (c) School- and adviser-directed collaboration; (d) Researcher-directed collaboration. Our findings can support participants to consciously choose a particular type of cross-professional collaboration that fits their purposes and specific situation.