Gifted Metaphors: Exploring the Metaphors of Teachers in Gifted Education and Their Impact on Teaching the Gifted

Metaphors are devices that people employ for both poetic purposes and rhetorical elaboration and belong to the realm of extraordinary language. Metaphors are used to connect abstract ideas and information to more concrete experiences, thus making these experiences more familiar and easier to understand. Moreover, metaphors are more than symbolic intellectual processes; they influence the conceptual understanding of our experiences and help define our everyday realities. For education, there is an important and relevant practical connection between the metaphors that teachers employ and their beliefs about teaching and classroom practices. This stems from the notion that metaphors guide one’s mental framework. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the metaphors influencing teachers in gifted education, this study specifically asked teachers to describe both their metaphors concerning gifted students as well as those influencing their teaching. In this study, nine different themes were identified. This research demonstrates a clear connection between reported metaphors and how gifted students receive their education from teachers. Participants’ answers demonstrate a strong connection between their metaphors and their classroom practices. However, strict adherence to one’s root metaphor increases the chance for dogmatism in the classroom and can lead to potentially incoherent classroom differentiation and a potential disconnect between classroom practices and the actual pedagogical needs of the gifted learner.     

A View on the Current Situation in Russian Education

This paper reflects the current state in Russian education which has a strong correlation with the socio-economic crisis. The responsibilities for education are held partially by the state and partly by other social institutions and as a whole, all of them form the system of education. There is a rather wide set of laws, decree statements, and rules about education in Russia, but they currently are far removed from practical realization. The situation with financing educators, schools, and universities is very critical at present in Russia. The idea of differentiation and democratization in School Reform has had both positive and negative effects. To rescue the Russian system of education from a crisis, a strong state policy in education and a strong system of implementation are required. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

关于农业自然资源商品性的探讨

本文探讨了农业自然资源成为商品的条件。指出并非所有的农业自然资源都能成为商品。同时,联系农业自然资源的特点,针对一些观点提出商榷,并从6个方面概括了农业自然资源作为商品的特性。     

The effectiveness of a special school experience for improving preservice teachers’ efficacy to teach children with special educational needs and disabilities

Increasingly, preservice teachers are required to demonstrate their ability to effectively cater for the needs of a diverse range of learners, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Higher education institutions (HEI) delivering teacher education programmes are responsible for promoting the development of inclusive practices. This multi-method study assessed the effectiveness of a special school experience for preservice teachers at one HEI in England. A total population sample of 48 preservice teachers completed self-efficacy questionnaires at three time points during their training; and 13 took part in qualitative semi-structured interviews towards the end of the study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) findings from the questionnaire data showed that the experience had a significant positive impact on preservice teachers’ self-efficacy, improving knowledge, understanding and confidence to teach inclusively. A thematic analysis of the qualitative findings revealed that the experience challenged preservice teacher expectations about learners with SEND, developing understanding about learner needs and effective differentiation. This article concludes with recommendations for effective inclusion training for preservice teachers.     

试论现代流行语流行的基本条件

现代流行语是语言变异的一种形式。它既有地域方言的特点,也有社会方言的特点。现代流行语发展快．数量大,而且具有比较深刻的社会化价值和语言学价值。崭新的语义内容一旦以令人耳目一新的语音形式为载体．便意味着流行语的内部条件的成熟。与此同时,如果相应的社会化、社会心理及语用等外部条件也已具备,流行语便应运而生,流行开来了。     

近20年来西藏耕地与人口变化相关分析

采用1981年～2001年的统计资料,用统计分析方法,研究了近20年来西藏耕地变化过程与地域分异特征,建立了耕地与人口相关模型,分析了西藏耕地与人口相关性变化趋势以及不同地区耕地与乡村人口相关的区域差异性,提出了劳耕密度的概念.结果表明:①近20年来西藏耕地面积呈现波动增加趋势,但增加速度缓慢,不同时段耕地年均递增率呈现低-负-高模式,耕地变化地域差异特征明显;②利用2001年耕地与对应的乡村人口数据建立了二者之间的E型指数曲线相关模型,发现耕地面积与乡村人口数之间存在着极显著的正相关关系;③由1981年～2001年西藏全区耕地面积与乡村人口数据建立的E型曲线模型,相关性虽呈正相关,但未达到O.05水平的差异显著性,且不同地区乡村人口数与耕地面积之间的相关系数在不同时期差别较大;④1981年～2001年期间,人均耕地面积减少了O.0301hm2,年均递减率为1.13%,而劳耕密度呈现增长趋势,净增加0.4943人/hm2,年递增率为0.64%,在不同时段人均耕地面积及劳耕密度的变化幅度及趋势不同.     

企业人力资源与人力资本的差异性分析

知识经济时代,价值增长机制发生了根本转变,企业间的竞争转为基于人力资本的竞争。人力资本对价值创造的巨大贡献使企业的发展需要思考人力资源向人力资本的转化问题,其前提就是明确人力资本和人力资源之间的差异性。明确企业内人力资源和人力资本的概念,从结构与数量、资产增值性、资产专用性、委托代理身份、参与企业剩余分配以及定价的方式六个方面比较二者的差异,对识别企业内不同成员对价值创造的不同贡献有重要意义,能为企业的管理实践提供一定的理论指导。     

SCP模式下差异化区域自主创新战略——泛珠三角区域自主创新研究

泛珠三角经济圈是近年来中国经济的热点之一,区域自主创新能力在泛珠经济圈中特别重要,泛珠地区只有系统地抓紧实施适合的战略,才能迅速提高泛珠三角的经济实力和科技实力。由于地区发展的不平衡,泛珠自主创新也具有自己的特色。从泛珠区域自主创新的四个方面即:企业自主创新能力、地区科技发展水平、科技中介机构技术创新服务能力及政府对技术创新的引导、管理和组织能力现状出发,将泛珠各省、区自主创新的优劣势比较,提出细分市场寻找切入点,在找到突破口后,进行集中攻关,变为自己的竞争核心,进入主流市场,扩大自己的成果,实现全面突破,最终实现以市场为导向,以细分市场找突破口并形成自己核心竞争力。在这一过程中,强调技术与市场的互动,因地置宜地提出基于SCP模式下的差异化区域自主创新战略的设想,实现区域自主创新的良性循环。     

工业园区集群化发展与约束条件研究

针对工业园区土地利用效率低下、其内部的企业价值链离散等情况,无论是学术界还是地方政府,都相继提出了集群化发展的思路。分析了工业园区集群化发展过程的差异化原则、调整中的障碍和约束条件,并给出了一些建议,是对探讨工业园区发展的有益尝试。     

中国畜牧业生产结构的区域差异分析

中国畜牧业正处于从传统畜牧业向现代畜牧业转型的关键时期,为了全面地了解全国各地区畜牧业的发展现状、存在的问题和发展潜力,本文运用偏离-份额分析法对全国各地区自2003年-2007年以来的畜牧业生产结构及其比较优势进行对比分析。结果表明：各地区畜牧业发展不平衡,生产结构的区域化特征明显。通过对差异形成的原因分析后发现,各地区生产结构及其比较优势的形成与其社会经济状况、资源禀赋、市场需求等因素密切相关,但更深层次的解释是由于市场分割、各地区消费习惯差异以及生产者和政府目标收益的不一致引发的区域之间对其自身优势利用的程度不同所造成的。由于造成畜牧业生产结构区域差异的原因不尽相同,即使是同一种影响因素的作用程度也是轻重有别,这就导致了各地区畜牧业发展分属综合优势区、竞争优势区、结构优势区、优势缺乏区这4个不同的区域类型。最后,在基于资源禀赋与粮食安全的视域下,进一步指出我国区域畜牧业的发展方向是根据各地区资源环境特征以及畜禽生产条件进行优势区域布局,继续加大生产结构的调整力度,提高草食畜的生产比重,大力发展“节粮型”畜牧业。