The dynamic relationship between response processes and self-regulation in critical thinking assessments

Our aim was to explore higher education students’ response and self-regulatory processes plus the relationship between these, as evidenced in two types of performance-based critical thinking tasks included in the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) International instrument. The data collection consisted of 20 cognitive laboratories. The data were analyzed using a qualitative approach. The tasks were found to trigger different response and self-regulatory processes. Overall, the performance task evoked more holistic processes than the selected-response questions, in which students’ processes were more question-oriented. The results also indicated the entanglement of students’ response and self-regulation processes. Three self-regulation groups were identified. Students with versatile self-regulation skills were able to complete the task thoroughly, whereas students with moderate self-regulation skills faced challenges in monitoring and evaluating their performance. Students who were lacking in self-regulation struggled both with the task as a whole and their own progress. Implications for higher education are discussed.     

Capacity building to bridge data use and instructional improvement through evidence on student thinking

While schools and systems across the globe promote data-driven decision making, teachers often struggle to use data, especially from external assessments, to inform daily instruction. In this paper, we examine teacher capacity building for a less typical form of data use - evidence on student thinking. We draw on data from a longitudinal, in-depth qualitative study involving middle school math teachers who were engaged in an instructional improvement project. Findings show that data use occurred when evidence from student thinking was introduced as part of the instructional planning process. This shift was facilitated by an instructional coach whose capacity building efforts with teachers focused on coherence, specifically planning high quality instruction and using data effectively, while also meeting district pacing and unit planning goals. When teachers put new strategies into practice, feedback from formative assessment data allowed teachers to identify and address misconceptions in student thinking. Learning how to use data as part of instruction helped teachers build capacity to reflect on their own practice. Implications for theory, practice, and research are discussed.     

高中历史教学中对学生探究思维的培养

培养学生的探究思维是高中历史教学的重要任务。探究思维对于提高学生的自主学习能力、提升学生历史综合素养具有十分重要的意义。教师要优化高中历史教学模式,引导学生转变观念,开展自主探究;创设问题情境,促进学生探究能力的提高;善于运用任务驱动教学,提高学生探究动力,教师要给学生提供自主探究与合作学习的机会,让学生养成探究学习的习惯,促进学生历史素养的提高。     

浅议高中化学实验课中的创新思维教学

创新能力是人类进步与发展的原动力,是人类独有的能力,现代社会发展迅速,社会市场经济对人才的要求已经不仅仅满足于应用技术与理论知识,还要求其具有创新意识与创新能力。而对学生意识的培养的化学实验课,教学效果显著。本文结合实际教学经验,对高中化学实验课中的创新思维教学策略进行了深入探究。     

Aged-based differences in spatial language skills from 6 to 10 years: Relations with spatial and mathematics skills

Spatial language is the language of spatial concepts and spatial relationships. Prior research has demonstrated an association between spatial language and spatial thinking in pre-school children. However, there is limited evidence exploring age-based differences in spatial language in older childhood. This cross-sectional study has three main aims. First, we present a novel spatial language measure and show differences in spatial language performance across age groups from 6 to 10 years (N = 155). Second, having demonstrated that our measure is sensitive to age-based progression, we use regression analyses to determine relations between spatial language and performance on a range of spatial tasks (r²:1.2%–9.0%). Third, we investigate the relations between spatial language and different mathematics skills (r²:0.2%–15.4%) and propose mechanisms that may explain these associations. We discuss how these findings lay a foundation for future spatial language interventions as a novel tool which may lead to educational improvements in mathematics.     

Developmental trajectories of children's spatial skills: Influencing variables and associations with later mathematical thinking

Few studies have examined the long-term relations between children's early spatial skills and their later mathematical abilities. In the current study, we investigated children's developmental trajectories of spatial skills across four waves from age 3–7 years and their association with children's later mathematical understanding. We assessed children's development in a large, heterogeneous sample of children (N = 586) from diverse cultural backgrounds and mostly low-income homes. Spatial and mathematical skills were measured using standardized assessments. Children's starting points and rate of growth in spatial skills were investigated using latent growth curve models. We explored the influence of various covariates on spatial skill development and found that socioeconomic status, language skills, and sex, but not migration background predicted children's spatial development. Furthermore, our findings showed that children's initial spatial skills––but not their rate of growth––predicted later mathematical understanding, indicating that early spatial reasoning may play a crucial role for learning mathematics.     

思维的批判性与大学的批判性思维教育

思维的批判性是人的思维方式的一项重要品质,它在人类自由的精神生产中形成了思想文化的批判传统,并不断拓展运用领域,提升批判水平。批判性思维这一称谓涵盖了包括思维的批判性在内的众多思维品质,"评判准则+思维方式"构成了现实的批判性思维活动,不同领域的批判有各自不同的批判逻辑。批判性思维教育是训练人的思维方式、培养人的思维品质的教育。大学开展批判性思维教育,要为培养思维的批判性品质创造良好的教育环境,处理好批判性思维教育与价值观教育的关系,加强关于批判性思维的逻辑研究。     

批判性思维视角下科学知识与人文知识的融合及其教学启示

科学知识和人文知识的分化逐渐加深了两类知识之间的隔阂与对立。将批判性思维引入两类知识的探讨旨在以批判性思维作为弥合两类知识分裂之突破口。科学知识中的批判性思维重在对客观真理的追寻,具体指向对逻辑思维不足、神学和迷信的批判。人文知识中的批判性思维重在对精神世界的观照,具体指向对技术主义弊端和绝对客观主义的批判。尽管科学知识和人文知识中批判性思维的特点不尽相同,但批判性思维强调科学知识和人文知识的自我反思,这为批判性思维促进两类知识的融合提供了可能性。从起点、过程、目的三个层面建构批判性思维促进科学知识和人文知识融合的路径,并在此基础上进一步提出构建"科学—人文"知识教学联合体以达成批判性思维视角下知识融合的教学。     

西方关于批判性思维内涵、属性和影响因素的论争

20世纪80年代以来,为了应对全球经济对学生技能水平的要求,西方国家开始广泛关注学生批判性思维的培养,使之逐渐成为各国高等教育改革的重要议题。但是,关于批判性思维的内涵、属性和影响因素等几个关键问题却一直存在论争。从批判性思维的内涵、属性和影响因素来看,西方国家存在强调"思维技能"还是"社会参与"、适用于"所有学科"还是"特定学科"、受"东西方文化的差异"还是"教育环境的差异"影响等几个方面的论争。     

从关键词词频看我国读者工作的发展

关键词是表达文献主题概念的自然语言词汇，通过分析关键词的变化可以全面把握该学科发展的动态过程、特点和规律。文章以重庆维普公司的《中文科技期刊数据库》为统计源。对1989～2003年读者工作的关键词进行统计分析，通过词频的变化，指出读者工作的发展动态和当前读者工作研究的热点和发展趋势。