Mathematical, Mathematics Educational, and Educational Values in Mathematical Modeling Tasks

Purpose:The purpose of this study is to explore the mathematical values,mathematics educational values,and educational values invoIved in mathematical modeling tasks based on different mathematical modeling perspectives.Design/Approach/Methods:In this con text,the prese nt study is a qualitative research based on document analysis.The data were analyzed usingsemantic content analysis,and the selected modeling tasks based on different mathematical modeling perspectives were examined at the sentence level.Findings:Control,mystery,and openness mathematical values appeared in all mathematical modeling tasks,and rationalism and objectivism mathematical values appeared in realistic/applied and socio-critical modeli ng perspectives.Product,exploration,creating,releva nee,pleasure,and application mathematics educational values also emerged in all modeling tasks.Educational values of social justice,equity,social welfare,humanity,and altruism were more important in the socio critical modeling,while the value of individualism was more emphasized in the model-eliciting approach.Originality/Value:By determining mathematical,mathematics educational,and educational values involved in mathematical modeling tasks based on different mathematical modeling perspectives,an effective and more value-balaneed mathematical modeling instruction can be provided.

China’s Perspectives on the Modern Educational Value of Critical Information Literacy

Critical information literacy is a new and important direction of information literacy education for university students in the new media era.By comparing critical information literacy between China and the West,combining with the research on information literacy education in China in the past 20 years,and based on the three major relationships that Chinese philosophy is concerned about that people need to face in the world of life,i.e.,the individual and the self,the individual and nature,and the individual and the society,this paper defines critical information literacy as that individuals,as information subjects,discover,select,confirm,and evaluate the information they are exposed to by obtaining and discriminating the content elements of the information world(information sources,information,and information assets)and using critical thinking skills and methods,creatively interpret or solve the relevant problems arising from the interaction between individuals and self,individuals and nature,individuals and society,and form the literacy that represents the knowledge,ability,attitude,habit,and level of the information subject through continuous reflection and practice.In order for human beings to better understand the world and construct it responsibly,critical information literacy can play a greater role and educational value.It not only helps contemporary college students build knowledge of“good questioning”and enhance their“reasoning”skills,but also encourages them to maintain a“firm standpoint,”cultivate a habit of“healthy skepticism,”and enhance their“decision-making”skills.

An Intersection of Mathematics Educational Values and Cultural Values: Pasifika Students' Understanding and Explanation of Their Mathematics Educational Values

Purpose:This article investigates the mathematics educational values of Pasifika students in New Zealand.It draws on student voice to examine Pasifika students'understanding of mathematics educati onal values and their reaso ns for rati ng values at differe nt levels of importance.Design/Approach/Methods:The study involved Years 7 and 8 Pasifika students from two low-socioeconomic middle schools.Students selected their most and least important mathematics educatio nal value stateme nts on a survey.Semi-structured in dividual in terviews were used to investigate their reasons for selecting the values.Findings:The mathematics educational values ranked highly by the greatest percentage of students were practice,family,respect,and persistence.In contrast,the values of accuracy and utility were rated as least importa nt.Stude nt in terview data revealed comm on alities in accou nting for the importance of different values.The findings indicate an intersection between the mathematics educational values and cultural values of Pasifika people.Originality/Value:There have been few studies that have explored the mathematics educational values of Pasifika stude nts.The curre nt study provides in sight into why specific values are importa nt to Pasifika students and how these may in flue nee classroom in teractions.The use of stude nt interview data wide ns the existi ng literature focused on values in mathematics education.

Values Research and Education by Yi-ological-Systemic-Typological Method in Integration Context

The study of values in the world at present almost follows Western theories and techniques. This is a matter of course in the field of science--technology, but it turns to be much more complicated in the field of social sciences and humanities, because this area is heavily dependent on particular nationalities. Furthermore, the most commonly used in the value research methodology is questionnaire, and using a questionnaire to study values is still restrictive. To overcome this disadvantage, we have developed a Yi-ologieal-Systemic-Typological method to use mostly in studying values. According to Yi-ological method, value education helps learners to recognize values among non-values, non-values among values. According to Systemic method, it helps learners see the changing of values over the time, the close relationship and interaction between values with non-values. Value education according to Typological method helps learners recognize the similarities and differences between cultures, both apart and close ones.

Analysis on the Computer-based Virtualized Educational Platform

In this paper,under the premise of analyzing the necessities to carry out computer virtualized education in modem education and based on computer virtualized training's value embodied in education,the ways to realize the educational value of computer virtualized training are elaborated.Computer virtualized training is of great significance to the diversity of education and the modernization development.

Exploring the Educational Value of Mathematical Beauty and Effective Ways of Discovering Mathematical Beauty

The precision of mathematical reasoning,the abstractness of mathematical language,the profundity of mathematical thought and method,as well as the excessive formalization of mathematics teaching have formed an impassable gap,hindering students in approaching mathematics.This has concealed the beauty of mathematics and the light of mathematical culture.However,if students are able to cross this gap,they would find that mathematics is a vast world full of vitality,imagination,wisdom,poetry,and beauty.The pursuit of mathematical beauty is one of the motivations for scientists to research this field.Experiencing mathematical beauty is of great significance to students'learning and growth.In teaching,the value of mathematical beauty is explored,such as stimulating emotions,opening up to the truth,and cultivating goodness.Several effective ways are suggested in this article to guide students to discover the mathematical beauty in life while finding it in problem-solving methods and exploring it in knowledge systems.

Landscape Aesthetic Characteristics of Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Property and Realization Path of Aesthetic Education Value

Wulingyuan is a world natural heritage property mainly dominated by rare quartz sandstone peak forest landscape at home and abroad and supplemented by karst landscapes,with a large number of geological and historical sites,biological and ecological landscape and unique cultural landscapes.Preserving the secluded and beautiful scenery environment,biological environment and ecosystem of subtropical zone,Wulingyuan presents a splendid and magnificent landscape,with high aesthetic value,and becomes an important practice base of aesthetic education.The aesthetic education value of Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Property can be realized by systematically studying and presenting the aesthetic education value of Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Property,developing a series of aesthetic education courses to lead tourists into the world of Wulingyuan aesthetic education,carrying out a series of popular science activities of“Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Property Entering Campus”,and incorporating into the aesthetic education curriculum system of schools,etc.This paper analyzes the landscape aesthetic characteristics of Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Property thoroughly,which indicates the direction for realizing the aesthetic education value of the property,and also provides a reference for realizing the aesthetic education value of similar world natural heritage property.

Analysis on the Driving Factors and Realization Path of the Value of Tutor-Student Relationship of Postgraduates-with Medical and Pharmaceutical Universities as an Example

A harmonious relationship between teachers and postgraduates presents the comprehensive value of psychological education,which guarantees training quality and acts as an effective carrier of mental health education of the postgraduates.Based on Bandura’s theory of reciprocal determinism and Austin’s input-output theory,this paper constructs a model concerning the value of psychological education in the tutor-student relationship.The path of realization is also explored in a structural equation model through a questionnaire survey of 1112 graduate supervisors and administrators in medical colleges.The experimental result indicates that(1)The interaction between teachers and postgraduates promotes the value of psychological education in the highest measure,among which the quality and frequency of tutor-student communication,mutual trust,and respect act as the key influencing indicators.(2)Tutor’s professional quality is considered as the fundamental driving force in the realization of psychological education value in the tutor-student relationship,the maximum mediating effect is observed in the developing path of tutor’s professional quality-interaction behavior between teachers and postgraduates-psychological growth of teachers and postgraduates.(3)The objective results obtained by teachers and postgraduates,such as the improvement of quality and quantity,positively promote the overall quality of life satisfaction of both sides,which improves the major psychological growth indicators.(4)In the path that affects the psychological growth of teachers and postgraduates,female groups mainly focusing on natural sciences pay more attention to the tutor-student emotional experience,while male and lower-grade groups pay more attention to behavioral interaction;In the path that affects the interaction between teachers and postgraduates,the tutor does not value the difference in the quality of graduate students,lower-grade and natural science professional groups pay more attention to institutional environment.

Cost and value in medical education:the role of discounting

Medical education is an expensive activity.It is also a very long-term activity.Medical education interventions today will have impact up for 40 years into the future as today＇s medical students continue to practice over a long career.The expense of medical education has led to a new interest in how to ensure maximum returns for educational investment.The new discipline of cost and value in medical education is clearly in its infancy with relatively few papers so far reporting rigorous results on the cost effectiveness or cost benefit or cost utility ratios of education interventions.

Aggressive Behaviour During Breaks as a Manifestation of Different Types of Culture at School

The aim of this article is to analyse aggressive behaviour of pupils during school breaks. The main emphasis has been put on the importance of teachers＇ expectations concerning behaviour violating norms. The role of these expectations as predictors of pro-social and anti-social behaviour has been analysed. The research is based on the assumption that every culture develops specific benchmarks in reference to which people judge various social phenomena. Creation of an individual conception of oneself and making a plan for one＇s life is based, to some extent, on social values which constitute the crucial element of every culture. The hypothesis to be verified in this study was the presence of a significant link between the occurrence of anti-social and pro-social behaviour and the adopted axiological assumptions concerning students and their behaviour. The subjects of the study were students and teachers from 18 schools representing three types of culture and three educational levels （primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary）. The total number of 1,212 students were observed （Goldsmith＇s Observational Questionnaire）, and 36 teachers were interviewed. The results indicate a link between the adopted school culture and teachers＇ functioning, and open perspectives of further research on the connection between the values in school curricula and the occurrence of behaviour violating social norms and bounds.

The Aesthetic Education Value of Thematic Art Creation

Thematic art creation is a product of a complex social,historical,and cultural context,and it fills an important position in the development of modern and contemporary Chinese art history.Since the 21st century,with the introduction and implementation of a series of national major thematic art creation projects,thematic art creation has gradually moved from a marginal position in art history to a core area,becoming a visual narrative method with independent aesthetic value.Moving towards cultural consciousness and carrying cultural self-confidence,thematic art creation requires the guidance,standardization,and support of related art theories.The lack and absence of theoretical research restricts the development of thematic art creation.This study combs through the research results and literature materials of thematic art creation since the new century as well as studies the aesthetic education value of thematic art creation image narration.

Exploring Issues About Values in Mathematics Education

Highlights•This commentary article is intended to provide a broad yet brief look at research and issues about values and valuing in mathematics education from a broad view about related issues.•The articles in the Special Issue provided new findings,insights,and directions in research on values and valuing in mathematics education.•In the future,more attention should be paid to the issues concerning values as a construct from a social-cultural perspective,and more studies addressing enacted values,using more observational data,and with large scale and long duration are needed.•There is also a need for more exchanges and interdisciplinary collaborations between mathematics educators,other discipline-based educators,and general educators,especially educational sociologists,for the advancement of research in this area.

Moral education and values education in curriculum reform in China

In the new curriculum reform in China,moral education and values education have been defined from the angles of the integrity and conformity of curriculum functions.Accordingly,a new education concept based on complete/integral curriculum functions is established.By discussing the essences of the curriculum,the basis of moral and values education,integrated curriculum setting in instruction structure,the presence of emotional and attitudinal goals in the subject standards,and teaching methods,this text points out that this curriculum reform looks to moral and values education in schools.The reform also emphasizes and will guarantee moral and values education in schools.Finally,the article recommends to elementary and secondary schools the studies on moral education in class conducted by the Research Institute of Moral Education of Nanjing Normal University,one of the Key Bases for Humanities and Social Sciences Research for the Ministry of Education.

FROM CULTIVATION OF COMPETENCE TO HUMANISTIC EDUCATION

With the development of information technology, there is a stronger appeal for humanistic education. The low efficiency of China's current English foreign language teaching (EFLT) and the ever-present affect and behavioral problems with middle school and college students set stronger requirements for humanistic education in English classes. Studies show that mere cultivation of competence itself is powerless to solve the problems. This paper attempts a tentative exploration into humanistic education in EFLT concerning curriculum, course-design, evaluation and classroom instruction. It further proposes a three-staged approach to classroom instruction, suggesting a way to go one step further from cultivation of competence to humanistic education.

A Bridge Too Far?Comparative Reflections on St.Paul and Confucius

This paper is a personal reflection on a lifetime experience of bridging the values and ideas of two distinctive faith traditions:the Christian and the Confucian.The author has chosen to focus on the lives and beliefs of two great teachers:St.Paul in Europe of the first century CE and Confucius in China of the 5th century BCE First the context in which they lived their lives is sketched out and then their core messages are abstracted from the texts they left behind and juxtaposed.Of particular interest is the way in which they viewed the end of life,given the fact that neither could have known the enormous influence their teachings were to have on future generations.

Moral Education Curriculum Reform for China’s Elementary and Middle Schools in the Twenty-First Century:Past Progress and Future Prospects

Purpose:This article provides a historical overview of the progress made in the moral education curriculum(MEC)reform of China’s elementary and middle schools in the 21st century and discusses its future prospects.Design/Approach/Methods:The main methods used were textual and policy analyses.Findings:While China’s MEC reform is characterized by an openness and modernity achieved through international dialogue,it remains distinctively Chinese.The continued development and improvement of MEC reform can only occur through the careful handling of the various relationships between China and the international community,traditionality and modernity,central and local authorities,as well as theory and practice.Originality/Value:In addition to providing greater insights into and understanding of China’s new MEC reform,this article suggests several ideas for the further development of educational reform.