In order to help technical/business writing students transfer their authentic learning experience to service learning practice, this study explores the relationship between authentic learning and service learning thro...In order to help technical/business writing students transfer their authentic learning experience to service learning practice, this study explores the relationship between authentic learning and service learning through a course research project at a small public university in southwestem Oklahoma, USA. The participants, a small group of technical writing students, engaged in writing a proposal targeting a real-life local problem as well as finding a solution. The study shows that authentic learning, such as writing the proposal for a real-world problem, can generate a potential solution while the service learning portion of the assignment （such as working with the community） can provide a specific real-life location for resolving the problem. The study also shows that the authentic learning experience can inspire the students to move further to serve the community and when students volunteer to help the local community implement the solution, a bridge between the authentic learning and service learning can be built, which can then lead to students＇ enhancement of all round real-life skills and of a sense of serving the community. Finally, the implications of the study for English language teaching in an authentic leaming context also will be discussed.展开更多
In a teaching experiment, Japanese Grade 9 students investigated how to measure the height of an aerial balloon using different models involving angles and distances, and also to evaluate the models they developed. As...In a teaching experiment, Japanese Grade 9 students investigated how to measure the height of an aerial balloon using different models involving angles and distances, and also to evaluate the models they developed. As novices to mathematical modelling, they needed to decide which of several possible models were both valid and practicable, and the errors in measurement that are likely to arise. Opportunities to construct and use paper models, as scale reductions of the real situation, and discussing their results in small groups were effective in moving forward the thinking of many students on the dimensions mentioned above. While students were less able to identify different sources of errors, many came to appreciate the need to learn trigonometric techniques that are more suitable in dealing with problems of this kind.展开更多
文摘In order to help technical/business writing students transfer their authentic learning experience to service learning practice, this study explores the relationship between authentic learning and service learning through a course research project at a small public university in southwestem Oklahoma, USA. The participants, a small group of technical writing students, engaged in writing a proposal targeting a real-life local problem as well as finding a solution. The study shows that authentic learning, such as writing the proposal for a real-world problem, can generate a potential solution while the service learning portion of the assignment （such as working with the community） can provide a specific real-life location for resolving the problem. The study also shows that the authentic learning experience can inspire the students to move further to serve the community and when students volunteer to help the local community implement the solution, a bridge between the authentic learning and service learning can be built, which can then lead to students＇ enhancement of all round real-life skills and of a sense of serving the community. Finally, the implications of the study for English language teaching in an authentic leaming context also will be discussed.
文摘In a teaching experiment, Japanese Grade 9 students investigated how to measure the height of an aerial balloon using different models involving angles and distances, and also to evaluate the models they developed. As novices to mathematical modelling, they needed to decide which of several possible models were both valid and practicable, and the errors in measurement that are likely to arise. Opportunities to construct and use paper models, as scale reductions of the real situation, and discussing their results in small groups were effective in moving forward the thinking of many students on the dimensions mentioned above. While students were less able to identify different sources of errors, many came to appreciate the need to learn trigonometric techniques that are more suitable in dealing with problems of this kind.
