西北地区普通高中化学听评课现状及有效实施对策研究

以甘肃省兰州市15所普通高中的179名化学教师为研究对象,从听评课的目的、态度、内容、方式、制度、组织实施、文化等7个维度深入分析当前高中化学听评课现状。研究发现,兰州市普通高中化学听评课现状具体表现为：教师在观念层面没有真正意识到听评课对于课堂教学研究的意义与价值,操作层面不会通过听评课开展课堂教学研究;学校在制度层面缺乏对教师通过听评课开展课堂教学研究的保障引领,组织实施层面忽视教师个人的主观能动性和个体差异性,另外个人主义和表面合作的文化不利于教师通过听评课开展课堂教学研究;不同类型的教师在听评课的7个维度方面表现出不同程度的差异性。基于此,学校层面应该重建专业的听评课制度,培育专业的教研文化,组建专业的研究共同体;教师层面应该转变传统的听评课观念,培养课堂教学研究的意识,提升课堂教学研究的能力。     

化学职前教师PCK的结构与水平研究

本研究基于定量的研究方式测查189名化学职前教师PCK的结构与水平,结果表明（1）化学职前教师的PCK结构主要包括KoC、KoL、KoS、KoA等4个组分,且该结构具有良好的信度与效度;（2）化学职前教师PCK的4个组分之间存在显著相关,且显性的PCK教学方式比隐性的更有利于职前教师对PCK组分间的整合;（3）化学职前教师的PCK水平除KoS组分水平较为理想,其他知识组分水平均处于中等或中下水平;（4）在不同的PCK教学方式（显性或隐性）下,化学职前教师的PCK水平存在显著性差异。     

An analysis of the form and content of quadrilateral definitions composed by novice pre-service teachers

Mathematical definitions are an important mathematical construct which has been noted as a challenging topic for both teachers and students. This study provides an analysis of the form and content of a set of 308 definitions of quadrilateral types provided by 44 novice pre-service elementary teachers (NPSTs) who had not yet studied geometry or definitions on the college level. Analysis of definition structure including necessary, sufficient, and minimal conditions, as well as hierarchical and partitional structure, provides insight into what NPSTs may think about the form of mathematical definitions in general. Analysis of the properties used in definitions of each shape type and the frequency of those properties reveals the shape types with which NPSTs are most and least familiar. These results are presented alongside possible applications and implications for instruction.     

Measuring pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in tutoring children in primary mathematics: an instrument

This article reports on the use of Rasch modelling to develop and validate an instrument measuring self-efficacy in tutoring children in primary mathematics (SETcPM). In response to the literature on teacher efficacy, the 20-item instrument aims to inform teacher educators, and is designed for novice pre-service teachers (nPSTs) preparing to teach mathematics in primary school (grades 1–7, ages 6–13). To ensure that the tasks of teaching are imaginable for nPSTs, the instrument targets the core activity of teaching mathematics: helping a generic child with mathematics tasks. We propose that SETcPM is measurable for the intended population and represents a central part of self-efficacy in teaching mathematics (SETM). Understanding the initial SETcPM of novices and mapping its development over the course of their training programme can contribute to a better understanding of SETM, and allow teacher educators to tailor their support.     

Examining middle school pre-service teachers’ knowledge of fraction division interpretations

This study investigated 11 pre-service middle school teachers’ solution strategies for exploring their knowledge of fraction division interpretations. Each participant solved six fraction division problems. The problems were organized into two sets: symbolic problems (involving numbers only) and contextual problems (involving measurement interpretation and the determination of unit rate interpretation). Results showed that most of the participants exhibited a great amount of procedural knowledge as they applied algorithms to obtain the correct answers to the symbolic problems. They also exhibited a great amount of conceptual understanding of how and why they obtained the correct answers to the contextual problems. However, the pre-service middle school teachers neither provided interpretations to the symbolic problems nor accepted that the contextual problems involved fraction division operation. The results suggest that the measurement and rate concepts were often unlinked to fraction division.     

Adults’ Perceptions of Children's Science Abilities and Interest After Participating in a Family Science Night

The goal of this research was to examine adults’ and children's perceptions of participating in a family science night event, especially in the context of parental belief about children's science abilities. Family science nights are becoming increasingly popular and are used in a wide range of settings. During family science nights, adults and students jointly engaged in a variety of science activities. Results revealed that adults, 90% of whom were parents of attending students, reported learning more about children's interests and abilities in science. Students also agreed that that the adults had learned more about their abilities and interests. Personal characteristics of adults and children, such as gender and ethnicity, were not found to have any relationship to ratings.     

An evolving framework for describing student engagement in classroom activities

Student engagement in classroom activities is usually described as a function of factors such as human needs, affect, intention, motivation, interests, identity, and others. We take a different approach and develop a framework that models classroom engagement as a function of students’ conceptual competence in the specific content (e.g., the mathematics of motion) of an activity. The framework uses a spatial metaphor—i.e., the classroom activity as a territory through which students move—as a way to both capture common engagement-related dynamics and as a communicative device. In this formulation, then, students’ engaged participation can be understood in terms of the nature of the “regions” and overall “topography” of the activity territory, and how much student movement such a territory affords. We offer the framework not in competition with other instructional design approaches, but rather as an additional tool to aid in the analysis and conduct of engaging classroom activities.     

TPCHK视域下西部农村中学化学教师培训需求分析——基于陕西省“国培”项目的调查

利用“整合技术的化学教学知识”框架设计西部地区农村中学化学教师培训需求问卷,对参加“国培项目”的陕西省农村中学化学教师的调查数据,采用有序Probit模型,从TPCHK主要解释的9个变量入手进行实证分析。分析结果显示教师对特定主题下的学情分析、中学化学实验改进能力、化学教师在信息技术与课程整合过程中的作用等内容方面存在教学实践的执行困难,培训可通过分析参训教师实际教学中的课例、组织学习共同体,借助案例和活动的形式,促使培训内容较大程度符合教师培训实际需求。