Finding knowledge on the Internet: implications for the knowledge-driven curriculum

This article offers a critique of Michael Young’s perspective on the Internet as it relates to the knowledge-driven curriculum he supports. I argue that the Internet is a site of both theoretical knowledge and everyday concepts which challenges the differentiation of knowledge that premises much of Young’s writing. Google searches from the perspective of a student and teacher show that theoretical knowledge with vertical links to subject and disciplinary communities as well as coherence built through links between concepts is fairly readily accessed on the Internet. The importance of information literacy for students, the critical need to curate content on the web, as well as the implications for the curriculum of framing ‘knowing’ as encompassing ‘being familiar’ and comprehending’ are highlighted.     

Instructional models for the acquisition of English as bridges into school science: effects on the science achievement of U.S. Hispanic English language learners

Science educators have suggested that, for minority and low-income students, gaps between home and school science cultures necessitate ‘border crossing’ for successful learning in science. Our analysis used National Assessment of Educational Progress 2000 and 2005 data to assess the impact of U.S. state-level policy regarding instructional models for language acquisition for the learning of science. Specifically, we assessed whether policy favouring structured English immersion led to better student outcomes than bilingual education among Hispanic English language learners in 4th and 8th grades in the U.S. We found significantly higher science achievement among 4th grade Hispanic ELLs in states with stronger bilingual emphasis in their policy, suggesting that policy support for bilingual education could provide a better bridge to span the cultural gap between home and school science, at least for younger students.     

Constructing school knowledge after the Wall: the case of textbook publishing in the former German Democratic Republic

Organisational ecology and world cultural perspectives are used to analyse the struggle of the former East German textbook publisher Volk und Wissen after reunification. We argue that the normative expectations of Western Germany with respect to instructional materials clearly emulate world cultural principles, and so Volk und Wissen’s transition into Germany’s fiercely competitive educational publishing market offers an interesting test of the effects of educational globalisation. Reliance on the marketing expertise of Cornelsen, a Western German firm that acquired Volk und Wissen in 1991, helped the firm survive, but also retaining a ‘monist’ epistemological stance that was consistent with that of teachers trained in the socialist system.     

A framework for exploring small group learning in high school science classrooms: The triple problem solving space

Instructional Science - Classroom activities using an inquiry approach often feature students working in small groups to reduce teacher-centeredness and maximize student autonomy. Within science...     

Simulation-Based Evaluation of Learning Sequences for Instructional Technologies

Instructional technologies critically depend on systematic design and learning hierarchies are a commonly advocated tool for designing instructional sequences. But hierarchies routinely allow numerous sequences and choosing an optimal sequence remains an unsolved problem. This study explores a simulation-based approach to modeling learning hierarchies and the sequencing problem with a special focus on mastery learning over time. Computer simulations of eight hierarchies from the literature address two general questions about hierarchies and sequences: Do different valid instructional sequences for a given hierarchy lead to significant differences in simulated learning outcomes?, and How do hierarchy structures and student ability influence learning? Two findings emerge from the simulations: equally valid instructional sequences can produce widely divergent learning outcomes, and student ability can interact with sequence and hierarchy structure to disadvantage lower-ability learners. The paper concludes with observations on the role of simulations in the analysis and validation of instructional design and large-scale instructional systems.