Are the desks and chairs at school appropriate?

The aim of the current study was to find out how the measures of chairs and desks match with the anthropometrics of schoolchildren and how schoolchildren sit during a lesson in their classroom. This paper reports the baseline measurements of an intervention study. Participants of this study were 6th and 8th grade (12 and 14 year old) schoolchildren from two comprehensive schools in Finland (N = 101, 57 girls and 44 boys). The main outcome measures were the differences between desk height and elbow-floor height, and chair height and popliteal height. Forty-three participants were randomized for sitting posture analysis by video recordings. The study showed that desks were on average 13 cm above elbow-floor height and chairs 2 cm below popliteal height. For 56% of time participants sat with their backs flexed >20 degrees and/or rotated >45 degrees . For 70% of time they sat with their necks flexed >20 degrees or rotated >45 degrees. The results indicate that there is a mismatch between school furniture and the anthropometrics of schoolchildren. Schoolchildren sit in disadvantaged postures for a substantial part of school lessons.     

Posture analysis among Flemish secondary school teachers: difference between the use of chalkboards and electronic school boards during classroom teaching

The aim of this study was to (i) make a posture analysis of teachers during theoretical classroom teaching; (ii) to estimate the risk for the development of musculoskeletal problems (MSP); (iii) test the hypotheses that an electronic school board (EB) has more ergonomic advantages for teachers. Thirty-five secondary school teachers, of which 15 used an EB and 20 used chalkboards, were selected by convenience sampling and filmed during 30 min of a theoretical course. Posture analysis of back, arms, legs and risk assessment was performed using the Ovako Working Posture Analysis System. Most of the teachers’ postures did not indicate a higher risk for MSP. However, some postures may be harmful when accumulated for several hours of teaching a day; especially, long periods of standing and standing with a bended back. Results also indicated that currently the use of an EB does not improve teachers’ posture.

Practitioner Summary: The relationship between objectively measured physical work load and risk for injuries among teachers was not analysed so far. In this study teachers’ posture was analysed using the OWAS method. Prolonged standing and forward bending were identified as risk postures. Also, using an electronic school board currently does not improve posture.     

Why and how do middle school students exchange ideas during science inquiry?

Science is increasingly characterized by participation in knowledge communities. To meaningfully engage in science inquiry, students must be able to evaluate diverse sources of information, articulate informed ideas, and share ideas with peers. This study explores how technology can support idea exchanges in ways that value individuals’ prior ideas, and allow students to use these ideas to benefit their own and their peers’ learning. We used the Idea Manager, a curriculum-integrated tool that enables students to collect and exchange ideas during science inquiry projects. We investigated how students exchanged ideas, how these exchanges impacted the explanations they ultimately produced, and how the tool impacted teachers’ instruction. We implemented the tool with 297 grade 7 students, who were studying a web-based unit on cancer and cell division. Among other results, we found a relationship between the diversity of students’ ideas, and the sources of those ideas (i.e., whether they came from the students themselves or from their peers), and the quality of students’ scientific explanations. Specifically, students who collected more unique ideas (i.e., ideas not already represented in their private idea collections) as opposed to redundant ideas (i.e., ideas that reiterated ideas already present in their private idea collections) tended to write poorer explanations; and students who generated their own redundant ideas, as opposed to choosing peers’ ideas that were redundant, tended to write better explanations. We discuss implications for formative assessment, and for the role of technology in supporting students to engage more meaningfully with peers’ ideas.     

Are Computer Science and Information Technology still masculine fields? High school students’ perceptions and career choices

This study investigated Greek high school students’ intentions and motivation towards and against pursuing academic studies in Computer Science (CS), the influence of the family and the scholastic environment on students’ career choices, students’ perceptions of CS and the Information Technology (IT) profession as well as students’ attendance at CS courses at school, computer use in the home and self-efficacy beliefs regarding computers. Gender differences were examined with a view to identifying factors that may affect boys’ and girls’ career choices. The participants were 358 students of both sexes who completed an anonymous questionnaire. The data analysis showed that girls are less likely than boys to pursue a CS degree, and when they do so, it is mainly because of extrinsic reasons rather than personal interest in CS. Lack of opportunities for early familiarization with computing in the home and the scholastic environment is the factor that mainly differentiates boys’ and girls’ motivation against studying CS, having a greater impact on girls. Misconceptions of CS were detected in students of both genders. Girls view CS as a self-referencing, machine- and programming-oriented discipline to a greater extent than boys do, and hold less positive views of the IT profession. Boys view CS as more human- and application-oriented than girls do. They also have greater computer self-efficacy and more sex-stereotypical views of CS and IT as male domains. Appropriate actions to increase girls’ interest and participation in CS studies are proposed according to the findings.     

Old school动画大回潮

羔羊医生、憨豆甚至变形金刚都统统杀回荧幕，连动画片也不例外，连忍者神龟都开始回归，我们究竟是不是回到了80年代？[编者按]     

Student trajectories in high school mathematics: Issues of choice,support, and identity‐making

Abstract

This study explores the range of experiences students have when making two kinds of decisions in relation to high school mathematics courses: what course to take, and how to and how much to apply themselves. Looking at the choices of students about to enter Grade 10, the first decision is their choice of courses. In mathematics, students leaving Grade 9 selected one course (usually), from five possibilities, for their Grade 10 year: an advanced‐placement Honours stream, an academic course with a traditional symbol‐manipulation approach, an academic course with a technology‐based applications approach, a non‐academic mathematics‐for‐citizenship course, and (as an imposed choice) repeating the Grade 9 mathematics course. The second point of decision‐making occurred within their mathematics and science courses—students constantly made choices about how, and how much, to apply themselves to the challenges of succeeding in the courses they had chosen. These students’ course choices, to a considerable extent, conformed to expectations based on the influence of socioeconomic status and prior achievement. Overwhelmingly, students were concerned more in the credentialing value of courses than their educational value or structural nature. Within their courses, most students focused their attention on doing the work rather than the content or the learning process. Students reported being encouraged to do their work by teachers, but could not provide any indication of tactical support with becoming effective learners. The final outcomes of the students’ marks suggest that, in the context of the study, Grade 10 mathematics courses are much more effective as gate‐keeping mechanisms than as opportunities for students to improve and succeed.     

Social media for learning: A mixed methods study on high school students’ technology affordances and perspectives

Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, the study investigated high school students’ affordances for social media, their attitudes and beliefs about these new technologies, and related obstacles and issues. The affordance findings indicate that students depend on social media in their daily lives for leisure and social connections. Educational uses by teachers for classroom teaching and learning are sporadic, while uses by students on their own for learning purposes seem to be abundant but also incidental and informal. Quantitative results suggest that in general, students show positive attitudes and beliefs about social media use in education. Exploratory factor analysis revealed three components that explained a total of 65.4% of the variance: (a) benefits of social media use, (b) disadvantages of social media use, and (c) current social media use in education. Three issues emerged from the interview data: Conceptual understanding of social media for learning; close-minded, acquired uses versus open-minded, innate uses of social media; and changed concepts of learning. The study results suggest that for social media to be used as effective learning tools and to adjust students’ prior affordances with these tools, complicated efforts in designing, scaffolding, and interacting with students during the process are necessary.     

Introducing computers into a school —Management issues

This paper describes some aspects of the author's research into the implementation of computers in a secondary school in the United Kingdom. The research consists of an in-depth study of the introduction of computers in a comprehensive school (i.e. a case study). The school had seventeen microcomputers, twelve of which were for the school's newly formed Computer Studies Department; and the other five were for use within five major departments in the school where they were intended to be used specifically for Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) applications. The research looked at the different factors, at various levels, which influenced the introduction of computers into the school. This entailed investigating the organisation of, and decision-making within the school, and the views and opinions of the teachers about computers in general and in their teaching.The focus of this paper however is on the inter-play of teachers' attitudes, organisational constraints and solutions, and the leadership styles of the heads of departments. In this paper, examples from two departments and the school, over a period of one and a half years, are provided. The research showed a broad spectrum of views of teachers towards computers. Organisational constraints of insufficient time, lack of finance and resources, and the limitation of big class sizes, were seen as barriers to the use of computers. Some teachers also needed the guidance, leadership and cooperation from staff “above” them before any real uptake of computers could occur.     

Back pain in school children--where to from here?

Back pain is now recognised to occur early in childhood and is associated with high prevalence rates when estimated by survey. This review paper considers the risk factors associated with back pain in children aged 11-14 years, and particularly those present in a school setting. The risk factors most significantly associated with back pain are primarily characteristics of the individual with less strong associations with factors present in the school environment. The majority of intervention studies undertaken in a school setting have focussed on the effect of school furniture on posture and comfort and were of short-term duration. There is a need for further research in order to achieve a better understanding of the risk factors present in a school environment and to address ways to reduce the currently recognised perceived problem of back pain among school children. A strategy for an evidence-based longitudinal intervention study is proposed, with the content outlined under the headings: policy, school equipment and furniture, individual and family.     

Unit3 In my school bag教学设计及点评

本节课是深圳市教材小学英语Primary English for China Book3 Unit 3 In my school bag教学设计的第二课时.     

What makes them happy and curious online? An empirical study on high school students’ Internet use from a self-determination theory perspective

From a self-determination theory perspective, this study tries to investigate how perceived autonomy support, perceived relatedness and competence affect high school students’ intrinsic motivations (enjoyment and curiosity) to use the Internet, and the related outcomes of the motivation. Surveys are distributed to seven junior and ten senior high schools in a prefectural-level city in central China. Existing instruments from previous research are adapted to measure the following constructs: teacher support, parental support, peer influence, Internet self-efficacy, enjoyment, curiosity, flow state and online exploratory behavior. Finally, 3475 valid responses are collected.     

Gender differences in computer attitudes: Does the school matter?

In most western countries, the participation of females in ICT professional careers is not only low but is also still falling [Anderson, N., Lankhear, C., Timms, C., & Courtney, L. (in press). Because it’s boring, irrelevant and I don’t like computers’: Why high school girls avoid professionally-oriented ICT subjects. Computers & Education.]. Policy makers as well as researchers often assume that the interest of girls in computing and ICT-professions could be increased at school. For example, female teachers who are confident ICT-users, are expected to act as positive role models for girls. However, because most of the research on gender and computing has been focussing on the influence of none-school related factors, there is little empirical evidence that schools or teachers are able to influence girls’ attitude toward ICT. Using the data of a Dutch large-scale survey on ICT use in primary education (almost 4000 grade 5 students), this study explores the influence of both none-school related factors and school related factors on students’ computer attitude. Although the between-school variance of girls’ computer attitude is higher than that of boys’ computer attitude, multilevel analyses show that most of the variance in computer attitude is explained by none-school related student factors. Two school related factors turned out to have a small positive effect on the computer attitude of girls: a teacher-centred pedagogical approach and the computer experience of female teachers.     

Leveraging Scratch4SL and Second Life to motivate high school students’ participation in introductory programming courses: findings from a case study

Students in secondary education strive hard enough to understand basic programming concepts. With all that is known regarding the benefits of programming, little is the published evidence showing how high school students can learn basic programming concepts following innovative instructional formats correctly with the respect to gain/enhance their computational thinking skills. This distinction has caused lack of their motivation and interest in Computer Science courses. This case study presents the opinions of twenty-eight (n?=?28) high school students who participated voluntarily in a 3D-game-like environment created in Second Life. This environment was combined with the 2D programming environment of Scratch4SL for the implementation of programming concepts (i.e. sequence and concurrent programming commands) in a blended instructional format. An instructional framework based on Papert's theory of Constructionism to assist students how to coordinate or manage better the learning material in collaborative practice-based learning activities is also proposed. By conducting a mixed-method research, before and after finishing several learning tasks, students’ participation in focus group (qualitative data) and their motivation based on their experiences (quantitative data) are measured. Findings indicated that an instructional design framework based on Constructionism for acquiring or empowering students’ social, cognitive, higher order and computational thinking skills is meaningful. Educational implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed.     

Using ICT for school purposes: Is there a student-school disconnect?

Today's students are often portrayed in the literature as enthusiastic and wholehearted users of the Internet for school purposes, in contrast with today's schools, in which the situation is of high ICT access and low use. Via interviews with 25 post-primary students, this study examined student attitudes toward using the Internet for school purposes, revealing the reasoning behind patterns of after school ICT use and underlying perceptions of learning, the teacher's role and the desired role of ICT in schooling. Students were revealed to be ambivalent: they considered the Internet to be easy to use, reducing workload and “fun”, but at the same time “unreliable”, not “serious” enough, and not containing what they “need to know”. Thus, they primarily used it for “unimportant” assignments such as routine homework. Students described their learning goal as getting required “material” into their heads and saw the teachers as an (almost) exclusive authority regarding this required body of information, in line with schooling's information-focused agenda and teacher-centered practices. They were also less than enthusiastic about the integration of ICT into their curriculum. Although there is no apparent disconnect between school and students, it is argued that school should change in order to capitalize on the affordances of ICT and to better prepare students for life in the knowledge age.     

Real‐world problems: A judgment call for middle school mathematics teachers

A.C. Barton &; M.D. Osborne, (2001). Teaching Science in Diverse Settings: Marginalized Discourses and Classroom Practice. New York: Peter Lang. ISBN 1058–1634     

Probability simulation: What meaning does it have for high school students?

Abstract

This study investigated high school students’ reasoning and beliefs when confronted with contextual tasks involving the assessment and construction of two‐dimensional probability simulations.¹ Nine students enrolled in an advanced algebra course, with little formal instruction in probability, engaged in clinical interviews focusing on the simulation tasks. All students showed evidence of being able to recognize or identify an appropriate probability generator to model a contextual problem. However, their thinking in probability simulation was constrained by their inability to deal with two‐dimensional trials. In assessing the validity of a given simulation, only one student could identify a flaw that resulted from the use of one‐dimensional trials rather than two‐dimensional trials. Additionally, when asked to construct a simulation, only two students were able to define an appropriate two‐dimensional trial and develop a valid solution. The study also revealed evidence of students’ beliefs about probability simulation—some of which could be helpful in informing instruction, others problematic.     

Developing authentic assessment: Case studies of secondary school mathematics teachers’ experiences

Abstract

Authentic assessment techniques in mathematics raise issues that merit the attention of practitioners, educators, and researchers. Teacher training in assessment, the reliability and validity of authentic assessment, the variety of methods employed in such assessment, and the ways assessment is employed are all concerns that emerge as new assessment techniques other than the expected paper‐and‐pencil tests are implemented. At the secondary school level, new assessment techniques are emerging in mathematics classrooms and little is known about these experiences. This article specifically addresses the issues associated with authentic assessment by describing and exploring mathematics teachers’ experiences as they implement these assessment techniques in their secondary school mathematics program. It summarizes the findings of a qualitative study of five secondary school mathematics teachers in Ontario, Canada, and offers suggestions as to how to support teachers through such a change project. How teachers use authentic assessment, the problems they encounter, and the theoretical and practical issues that emerge are all questions that require exploration and understanding.     

Are young generations in secondary school digitally competent? A study on Italian teenagers

Digital competences amongst the younger generations and the role of schools faced with the spread of new youth practices are topics of increasing interest. Some commentators state that, thanks to the intensive use of digital media, young people are developing significant competences that also correspond to important cognitive processes and new learning styles. However, other authors emphasize that there is no evidence about the positive impact of new technological practices on the development of significant cognitive abilities.In this paper we present a research study carried out in Italian schools on adolescents’ (aged 14-16) digital competence. On the basis of a preliminary theoretical model, a digital competence questionnaire was formulated and subsequently administered to a sample of secondary school students.The aim was to verify whether adolescents’ digital skills are limited to simple technical aspects or expand beyond them including a range of more significant knowledge and skills related to a conceptual understanding of technology, socio-relational knowledge and high-order cognitive skills. Like other studies, this research shows that when attention is shifted from strictly technical aspects to critical cognitive and socio-ethical dimensions involved in the use of technologies, students’ knowledge and competences result inadequate. The authors conclude that the optimistic portrayal of younger generations’ digital competences is poorly founded. Furthermore, it is pointed out that understanding students’ digital competence levels through fast assessment tools is a fundamental opportunity for schools to analyse deficiencies and prepare adequate intervention strategies.     

Extending family to school life: College students’ use of the mobile phone

The current study seeks to understand if there is a pattern between college students’ mobile phone usage and their family members at home, and to what degree it affects their college life. Three focus group interviews were conducted on February 1, February 2, and February 15, 2006. A total of 40 undergraduate students who were majoring in communication studies participated in the study. One of the main findings is that the mobile phone is “a must” for college students to keep in contact with their family. Other findings suggest that college students use mobile phones to have more frequent contact with their family and to fulfill family roles. College students also utilize mobile phones to share experiences and emotional and physical support with their parents.     

Teacher–families online interactions and gender differences in parental involvement through school data system: Do mothers want to know more than fathers about their children?

The integration of School Systems in K-12, opens new possibilities for online interaction among teachers, students, and their parents. This paper examines three years of teacher–student and teacher–parent online interactions in seven Israeli secondary schools during the implementation of a school system called Mashov (meaning “feedback” in Hebrew, as well as the acronym of “Immediacy, Transparency, and Supervision”). The three hypotheses were supported: (1) Consistent with the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (Rogers, 2003), findings revealed that implementation time positively influence both logging into the system as well as sending messages to and receiving messages from teachers, students, and parents; (2) Similarly to gender differences in offline parental involvement, the findings showed that compared to fathers, mothers have higher level of online parental involvement – they log more into the system and send more messages to teachers. Moreover, mother activity was in accordance with levels of teacher activity in the system; (3) Consistent with the approach of implementing changes in schools by expanding circles of interactions beyond the teaching staff, teacher entering of pedagogical data on a daily basis improved the use of the system by students and their parents. Students and parents' logins into the system was significantly higher in classes taught by high activity teachers than in classes taught by low activity teachers. It seems that students and parents in classes taught by high activity teachers regularly logged into the system in order to receive pedagogical information. We recommend that teachers and school administrators seek ways for augmenting the online activity of teachers and encourage fathers to have higher levels of parental involvement.