Statistical Mechanics for Secondary School: The GasLab Multi-agent Modeling Toolkit

In the Connected Learning projects, we are studying students' learning of content through exploring and constructing computer-based models of that content. This paper presents a case study of a high school physics teacher's design and exploration of a computer-based model of gas molecules in a box. We follow up the case study with shorter vignettes of students' exploration and elaboration of the Gas-in-a-Box model. The cases lead us to analyze and discuss the role of model-based inquiry in science and mathematics education as well as to draw some general conclusions with respect to the design of modeling languages and the design of pedagogies and activities appropriate for model-based inquiry in classroom settings.This revised version was published online in September 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Applied Mathematics in the Secondary School

It is suggested that applied mathematics in the secondary school should be based on the practical investigation of everyday situations which lead to the setting up of various mathematical models. These situations should be selected so that problems of social and psychological importance are considered as well as dynamical and statistical problems. Activities of this kind in the areas of classical mechanics, networks, information theory and linear systems are outlined. These lead to models involving many different branches of mathematics. A syllabus embodying these suggestions is proposed.     

Distributed Versus Massed Practice in High School Physics

An analysis of the effects of distributed practice in physics was undertaken. The subjects were 41 students, nearly equal numbers of males and females, in two suburban high school physics classes. All students were exposed to both massed and distributed practice on two different physics topics. The interaction of practice type with time and previous physics achievement were evaluated using a repeated measures MANOVA. A significant difference in achievement at the 0.01 level was found between the group which used distributed practice and the group which used massed practice in favor of distributed practice; the effect was stable with time, and the treatment was of benefit to both high and low achievers. The results suggest that using distributed practice in high school physics classrooms can lead to higher student achievement in physics.     

Building a Network to Empower Teachers for School Reform

Reform efforts in college mathematics teaching are often hindered by the fact that many instructors have never experienced instructional delivery methods other than lecture. Building a network of college mathematics faculty interested in reform has provided the impetus for faculty members to incorporate problem solving, cooperative learning, technology, manipulatives, writing, and alternative means of assessment into courses for preservice elementary teachers. Suggestions for setting up a network are intended to provide guidance for other departments wishing to stimulate reform movements.     

离散数学教学改革浅谈

针对如何提高《离散数学》教学水平问题,提出了"赋予逻辑符号生动语言,激发学生学习兴趣"、"多角度讲解关系运算,启发学生发散思维"、"数学文化融入课堂教学,拓宽学生知识层面"的教学改革措施.     

An Experiment in Three Approaches to Teaching Average to Elementary School Children

The types of experiences children should encounter to best understand average were investigated in this study. Using a traditional approach with problem solving, a concrete approach with manipulatives, or a visual approach with computer spreadsheets, similar lessons on the arithmetic mean were taught to 22 children in grades 4–6, in three multiage groups. Differences among pretest, posttest, and interview performances suggest some advantage in the use of a visual instructional style. Continued gains in performance were found after 4 months without further instruction. An algorithmic-like definition of average corresponded to better long-term performance than less precise definitions. Collaborative deliberations resulted in positive implications for the researchers' teaching.     

高等数学教学方法的改革实践与回顾

高等数学在高校的课程体系中占有十分特殊的地位.高等数学的知识和方法,业已成为当代大学生知识、能力结构中不可或缺的重要组成部分.开展高等数学的教学改革,特别是开展教学内容、教学方法与学习方法的整合研究,是提高高等数学教学质量,实现高校人才培养战略目标的需要.     

Contemplating Criteria for Science Education Reform: The Case of the Olympia School District

Proposals for current reform in science education elaborate national standards and a plethora of state-level interpretations commonly labeled as curriculum or learning frameworks. The purpose of this case study was to examine the dynamics of the science curriculum reform process in one of the first school districts to use the Georgia Framework for Learning Mathematics and Science as a basis for their reform initiative. The paper describes the ways in which members of the Olympia School District's Science Curriculum Committee participated in the science curriculum reform process, as well as their personal beliefs about the criteria needed for reform to take place. The results highlight the nature of metaphors guiding reform efforts; the influence of social, historical, economic, and political forces on the reform process; the use of local and professional languages as discourses for communicating about reform; and the complex power relations that influence the micropolitics of reform in the Olympia School District. This study has important implications for other teachers and school districts engaged in standards-based science curriculum reform. It points to the need for reform to include reflection and analysis of the role of teachers in the reform process and consideration of the purpose of science education reform in society.