Models in physics: perceptions held by final‐year prospective physical science teachers studying at South African universities     

J. J. A. Smit  M. Finegold 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(5):621-634

Abstract

The nature of physics as a scientific discipline is largely determined by the models of reality it utilizes. It is therefore appropriate that teachers of physics have a sound knowledge of the origin and nature of these models, their functions and the role they play in the development of the discipline. The results of a study with regard to the perceptions of models held by prospective physical science (a combination of physics and chemistry) teachers studying at South African universities are reported in this paper. The overall conclusion drawn from the study is that these students are far from prepared to incorporate models properly in their teaching. General misconceptions about models have also been identified. These misconceptions can have far‐reaching effects on the structuring of the physics knowledge of pupils exposed to them.  相似文献   

Pigeons and Programing     

Francis A. Cartier 《College Teaching》2013,61(2):109-111

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A Working Plan for Education in the Community     

George A. Boyce 《Clearing house (Menasha, Wis.)》2013,86(8):455-458

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Toward an effective model for implementing distance education programs     

David A. Keast 《The American journal of distance education》2013,27(2):39-55

Abstract

As a response to the challenges and constraints now facing postsecondary education, institutions are attempting to find new strategies that will more effectively address the need for change in the way educational services are provided. In early September 1995, three institutions in Alberta, Canada—the University of Alberta, Fairview College, and Kayas Cultural College—embarked on a new partnership in offering a selected number of introductory Faculty of Arts courses in remote northwestern regions of the province. The primary mode of delivery was synchronized, multi‐point videoconferencing (to as many as six sites), with all courses delivered from the University of Alberta campus. Slightly more than 70% of the student cohort for the first academic year were Aboriginal. This discussion highlights the implementation and evaluation of this partnership and proposes a model for the effective planning and implementation of distance education initiatives.  相似文献   

Change and the teacher: Imperatives for the future     

R. A. Palmer 《The Teacher Educator》2013,48(2):5-9

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The explanatory role of spontaneously generated analogies in reasoning about physiological concepts     

David R. Kaufman  Vimla L. Patel  Sheldon A. Magder 《International Journal of Science Education》2013,35(3):369-386

Analogical reasoning is increasingly recognized as an important instrument for promoting conceptual change in science learning. This study characterized students' and physicians' spontaneous use of analogies in reasoning about concepts related to the mechanical properties of cardiovascular physiology. The analogies were made in response to questions at different levels of abstraction from basic physiology to clinical problems. The results indicate that analogies generated by subjects facilitated explanations in a number of ways. These include creating coherent representations in novel situations, bridging gaps in understanding, and triggering associations which result in modified explanations. Subjects at different levels of expertise used analogies differently. The more expert subjects used analogies to facilitate articulation and communication; that is, to illustrate and expand on their explanations. Novices and advanced medical students used more between‐domain analogies to explain all categories of questions. This is less evident in physicians' responses to pathophysiological and clinical problems. The paper discusses ways in which analogies can be used productively, and identifies factors that can lead to a counter‐productive use of analogies resulting in misconceptions and erroneous explanations.  相似文献   

Faculty work in developing and teaching web‐based distance courses: A case study of time and effort     

James A. Visser 《The American journal of distance education》2013,27(3):21-32

Abstract

Using an experiential case approach, this study explores the conventional wisdom that distance education courses require greater faculty work effort and time commitment than traditionally taught courses. The study's basis for analysis is an instructor's time and effort in developing and delivering a graduate‐level course in public administration, for both a distance course (a modality with which he had no previous experience) and his traditional classroom courses. The study finds support for the conventional wisdom. But it also suggests hypotheses for future comparative analysis that development and delivery time and effort may partially depend on the accumulation of instructor experience and the level of institutional support. This article also identifies some implications for future research and faculty participation in distance education.  相似文献   

Discovering Functional Programming Through Imperative Languages     

Paul A. Bailes 《Computer Science Education》2013,23(2):87-110

The pedagogical desirability of functional programming is effectively swamped by an overwhelmingly imperative‐language‐oriented culture. Because a meaningful subset of the functional paradigm is accessible within imperative languages, it is possible to identify a subset of Modula‐2 that characterizes the functional paradigm subset. A series of list‐processing problems and their solutions in the Modula‐2 subset provides students with ample exposure to the practice and theory of functional programming. Extension to the full functional paradigm and migration to specialized functional languages are managed, in the worst case by initial pseudo‐Modula‐2 programming involving hypothetical extensions supporting higher‐order functions and polymorphism. More powerful solutions to this problem are foreshadowed, in the form of preprocessor implementations of Modula‐2‐ and Ada‐derivative functional languages.  相似文献   

Academic developers as partners in change,scholarship, and reflection     

Kathryn A. Sutherland 《International Journal for Academic Development》2013,18(3):159-161

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PICTORIAL REPRESENTATION OF ADULTS AS OBSERVED IN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE     

Patricia A. Storck  Marion B. Cutler 《Educational gerontology》2013,39(3):293-300

The 37 Caldecott Medal award‐winning children's books and 129 runner‐up books were subjected to a content analysis in order to evaluate the portrayal of adults in children's literature, both fictional and nonfictional. Of the total 166 books analyzed, 43 were excluded from the data because they contained no adult portrayals. For the 123 books subjected to final content analysis, and the 751 characters contained in these books, the data revealed statistically significant differences on four variables: (1) more male than female adults were represented; (2) more healthy than physically handicapped adults were portrayed; (3) more positive than negative or neutral illustrations of adults occurred; (4) adults were represented more in fictional than in nonfictional children's books. Results were interpreted as demonstrating that children's literature portrays neither adult figures nor adult life in a realistic manner.  相似文献