...Introduction Science education encompasses a significant part of a child’s formal and informal education. In order to solve everyday problems, children consciously or unconsciously engage in scientific thinking and analysis of situations. This scientific approach to solving everyday problems needs to be encouraged and developed in a formal educational setting where teachers continuously change and organize curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of their children (Poon, Tan & Tan, 2009). The best environment that fosters and develops structured scientific analytical thinking is the school, where the child spends the major section of his/her day when he/she is away from home. It is within the school environment that formal learning takes place. Acceptable attitudes and values which the child inculcates are transmitted by the teacher who is specifically trained to teach at given levels. The training of the teacher in the use of the most effective methods of teaching is therefore the first and foremost important goal preceding the child’s education, especially since it has been established that teachers go on to teach science in the same way that they have been taught (Marshall & Dorward, 2000). Upon investigation, in private as well as public schools, we have been privy to two familiar methods of teaching science in the elementary and kindergarten classrooms. The two common methods are the inquiry and the direct instruction methods of teaching. The inquiry...
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...Problem statement using the PBL model Urooj Hassan Mngt 521 March 23, 2010 Douglas Threat After just nine months into my new job at Cisco, I was informed by my manager that there is department realignment and I was going to be sent to the front end team in four weeks. This decision was made without my input or knowledge and came as a shock to me. I was not very happy and did not know how to react at the moment once informed at five pm of Friday evening. I asked few questions in regards to how quickly this transition was going to happen and how to handle my current projects and work I had. My problem was that I was going to be placed involuntarily in a position, which I have no experience and similarity with my current role. I was fairly new in my current position and now in middle of fiscal year they are throwing me to the wolves with out any financial or supportive incentive After the weekend to think about the situation with a more calm mind, I started to consider the pro and cons. Hence, I realized this transition may end up resulting too many positive opportunities that I would not be exposed to in my current position. At this point I had few alternatives, rejecting the move and risking my job. Accept the move, and just do my job and not be happy. Finally, I can start familiarizing myself in the new department to make my transition more smooth and comfortable. There were many challenges I would have to deal with. The main was balancing my current...
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...curriculum program using Problem Based Learning Hortensia Jiménez Díaz Córdoba, Ver. Presented as a poster in the PBL2004 International Conference Cancún, México June 13-19, 2004 Constructivism & PBL Abstract The purpose of this paper is to identify if teachers and students from an undergraduate program designed under a constructivist model, using curriculum integration and PBL, perceive the created environment as a cultural system, according to Windschitl (1999). The research work was completed with open questionnaires and direct observations that were used to collect information about the process that is going on in this program. The data obtained was analyzed using the seven essential values of PBL proposed by Keng-Neo, Yih Chyn and Heng Chye (2001) that were related to Windschitl’s elements of a cultural system. The findings show that even when the program has most of the elements proposed by the authors mentioned above, the teachers do not have a deep 2 knowledge about constructivism and its philosophical principles, and they consider PBL just as an alternative way of teaching. A deeper analysis is required to establish which of the factors involved in creating a cultural system are present in this kind of programs and how do these factors contribute to that. Constructivism & PBL 3 Constructivism as a cultural system in an integrated curriculum program using Problem Based Learning According to Windschitl (1999b), constructivism is based in the belief that when...
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...Changing Perceptions on Inquiry Based Learning in Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers North Carolina State University Changing Perceptions on Inquiry Based Learning in Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers The modern world in which we live is requiring individual citizens to become more equipped with essential 21st century skills. The science classroom is a platform where students can engage in critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills that would enhance their readiness for our rapidly changing, technology rich, society. Furthermore, teaching these skills through means of inquiry and constructivism has shown to increase student involvement, comprehension, and retention when done effectively (Aydeniz, 2012, pg.201). For this reason it is imperative for science educators to include, if not practice regularly; inquiry based learning in their lessons. However, this is not an approach many teachers feel comfortable implementing for various reasons. The purpose of this review is to focus on research studies that have provided professional development on inquiry based learning to pre-service and in-service teachers in the hopes of improving their views of inquiry while encouraging and supporting them in practicing this methodology. The studies used are from multiple countries and school level ranges from kindergarten to high school. Since this area of research is increasing in its popularity the articles used are fairly recent, ranging from 2008 to 2014. This...
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...APEC- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. APEC's 21 members aim to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration. GLOBALIZATION- The worldwide movement toward economic, financial, trade, and communications integration. Globalization implies the opening of local and nationalistic perspectives to a broader outlook of an interconnected and interdependent world with free transfer of capital, goods, and services across national frontiers. However, it does not include unhindered movement of labor and, as suggested by some economists, may hurt smaller or fragile economies if applied indiscriminately. ECONOMICS- Economics is the study of the production and consumption of goods and the transfer of wealth to produce and obtain those goods. Economics explains how people interact within markets to get what they want or accomplish certain goals. Since economics is a driving force of human interaction, studying it often reveals why people and governments behave in particular ways. OPEN BORDERS- An open border is a border that enables free movement of people between different jurisdictions with limited or no restrictions on movement. A border may be an open border due to intentional legislation allowing free movement of people across...
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...PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING DISCOVERY JOURNAL Subject : ____________________________ Problem Name : _____________________ Class : ______________________________ PBL Team : _________________________ Your Name : ________________________ Date : ______________________________ Facilitator’s comments : Grade : This journal, consisting of 2 parts, is to be completed by each and every student. Part 1: As this is an individual journal, you are required to submit materials and information you have found pertaining to your assigned learning issue(s). These would serve as evidences of your effort in this problem, your research skills as well as your learning. Sources of your research (e.g. titles and authors of books, URLs of web-site, including the specific page of topic reseached, , etc) should be mentioned. Use the following referencing style for (a) Website e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database_normalization [Accessed 14 Oct 2001]. (b) Book e.g. Hoyle, E. (1986), The Politics of School Management. London : Hodder & Stoughton, pg. 20-22. My sources of research are: Rev 3.1/2008 Page 1 Part 2: After going through your research materials, check with your facilitator on the scope of your topic by showing him/her your findings before you prepare your notes. Summarise your findings and present them in a way which can help your peers understand your topic better. Be clear, specific and where possible include pictures, diagrams, graphs, demonstrations to help make...
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...What are your overall thoughts on PBL? Overall thoughts on problem-based learning seem to be very straight forward, in my opinion. The three phases provide a straight forward step by step approach of solving issues while also thinking in depth instead of jumping to conclusions. This will help in the sense of pushing the mind to think beyond the obvious. It is easy to think of a quick solution but generally the outcome is not thought of or even works as expected. Choices of solutions are very much needed regardless of the issue because it takes a great amount of time and sometimes money to come to a solution. Depending on the resources available some may cost money and some are simply straight from the internet anymore but they are to be reliable resources to be of any use. PBL also suggests the open communication between all parties involved which includes sharing of information that has been found. This is an important step in any problem or project that occurs and it should not be taken as if it is a secret that should not be shared. Communication helps the process especially when it comes to problem solving. The third phase of Resolving the Problem points out a step of presenting and justifying the solution. There are many ideas but does it justify the chosen solution. This is an important step because all of the work that has been done could result in a waste of time if the solution cannot be justified. What ideas and plans do you have about approaching...
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...is mostly targeted by the wishful thinking argument. I will then outline the main problem brought up by the wishful thinking argument. I will then outline the expressionist’s responses to the wishful thinking argument using David Enoch and James Lenman’s solutions to the problem, and show the flaws in their arguments. Therefore I will come to the conclusion that the wishful thinking argument is a valid objection to non-cognitivism. Non-Cognitivism Non cognitivism is the objection to the claim the moral facts express belief. According to this view they are not either true or false, neither do the assert anything about the world. Seeing as moral facts cannot be seen as true and no one can have knowledge of something that is not true, non-cognitivism implies the moral knowledge is impossible. The three main forms of non-cognitivism are; prescriptivism, emotivism and expressivism. In this essay I will be addressing the problems found in the expressivism branch of non-cognitivism. Expressivism Expressivism is the view that sentences about moral facts are not to descriptive terms, and do not relate to the real world problems. They are used for expressing either positive or negative attitude towards the object of the sentence. The Wishful-thinking argument This is an argument that rejects non-cognitivism presented by Cian Dorr (2002). The outline of this argument is the fact that we can come to a conclusion about how the world is, based on our desires about how we would like the...
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...English 1103 November 3, 2011 Analyzing Arguments: Is Vegan/Vegetarianism Diets Healthy? Eating is a necessary task humans undertake every day to survive and thrive. Food has become a huge part of society’s everyday culture and an essential aspect in our economy. As humans, we are capable of choosing the types of food we put in our bodies and these choices define in part what we look like and what we stand for. People choose whether they would like to be carnivores, vegetarians, vegans, or a combination. Author Ben Kim, a chiropractor and acupuncturist in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, states his thoughts on these choices in his article “A Strict Vegetarian Diet Is Unhealthy for Most People.” His article was written in 2010 to discourage people from adopting 100% vegan diets because in his opinion these diets are dangerous to the long term health of humans. Kim addresses his article to people who have adopted or are thinking of adopting 100% vegan lifestyles. He is trying to convince these groups that it is unhealthy long-term to limit yourself to a 100% plant-based diet. The main ideas Kim states in order to dissuade his audience from adopting vegan diets are that 100% vegan diets lead long term to the development of nutritional deficiencies and significant health problems, that the morality of vegan lifestyles are questionable, and that the organizations that promote vegan lifestyles have ulterior motives. While Kim makes a weak argument against 100% vegan diets, his assertion...
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...BUILDING EVIDENCE-BASED ARGUMENTS DEVELOPING CORE PROFICIENCIES ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS / LITERACY UNIT GRADE 7 “Doping can be that last 2 percent.” OD LL DUCATION www.odelleducation.com OD LL DUCATION Page 1 EVIDENCE-BASED ARGUMENTATION Literacy – the integrated abilities to read texts closely, to investigate ideas and deepen understanding through research, to make and evaluate evidence-based claims, and to communicate one’s perspective in a reasoned way – is fundamental to participation in civic life. Thus, the importance of a literate citizenry was understood and expressed by Thomas Jefferson early in the life of our democratic nation. Today, students face the prospect of participating in a civic life that stretches beyond the boundaries of a single nation and has become increasingly contentious, characterized by entrenched polarization in response to complex issues. Citizens have access to a glut of information (some of which is nothing more than opinion passed off as fact) and are often bombarded by bombast rather than engaged in reasoned and civil debate. Learning the skills and habits of mind associated with argumentation – how to conceive and communicate “arguments to support claims, using valid reasoning and sufficient evidence” [CCSS W1] as well as how to “delineate and evaluate the argument[s]” and “the validity of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence” presented by others [CCSS R8] – is therefore...
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...“HOW CAN LOGIC BEST BE APPLIED TO ARGUMENTS?” | March 10 2015 | | | Abstract This talk surveys a number of methods currently being developed that assist in applying logic to the evaluation of arguments used in particular cases. A case is seen as speci_ed by a given text and context of discourse. The methods used are pragmatic, and are based on the Gricean Cooperative Principle (CP), as implemented in several types of goal-directed conversational exchanges. Abstract This talk surveys a number of methods currently being developed that assist in applying logic to the evaluation of arguments used in particular cases. A case is seen as speci_ed by a given text and context of discourse. The methods used are pragmatic, and are based on the Gricean Cooperative Principle (CP), as implemented in several types of goal-directed conversational exchanges. “HOW CAN LOGIC BEST BE APPLIED TO ARGUMENTS?” INTRODUCTION How can logic best be applied to arguments? The goal of this address is to extend the boundaries of the subject known as logic towards the task of evaluating arguments as found in given cases of natural language argumentation. Of course, recently in philosophy, many influential voices are saying precisely that it is not possible to carry out this task (in an objective way that would be suitable for use in logic). I will argue that it can be done, or at least that there are resources available that can be brought...
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...chapters can be used to organize essays. An essay arguing a decision is organized in a different way from one offering a problem diagnosis.The structure of problem, decision, and evaluation essays is described in chapters 10 through 12, respectively. The chapters also include cases and sample essays about them. The essays are based on the writing of MBA students. To convince a reader that a conclusion about a case is valid, the writer must offer credible evidence linked directly to the conclusion. This fact helps explain the characteristics case-based essays have in common: 1. Answers two questions—What? Why?—and often a third—How? 2. Makes a position statement (What?) OT C CHAR ACTERISTICS OF A PERSUA SIVE C A SE ESSAY OP riting about a case is very different from talking about it.You collaborate with others in a discussion, bringing to bear everyone’s background and case preparation along with the instructor’s knowledge and facilitation skills. But you usually work on your own when writing about a case.You have to perform the entire analysis yourself as well as organize and express your thinking for a reader. However, the difference between talking and writing about a case runs deeper still.Audiences have much more exacting expectations of a text than they do of spoken comments. Logical gaps and the back-and-fill tolerable in a discussion are a major problem in an essay, confusing readers and undermining the writer’s credibility. Audiences don’t want a transcript of the...
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...That the project will be difficult. c. Cliff Cliff makes various assumptions, as well, including: i. That the iScanner will be incredibly difficult to surpass; ii. That creativity and innovation is necessary for this project; iii. That the iScanner will not leave the market; iv. That the budget can be managed without layoffs; and v. That more can be produced under the new budget. d. Chris Chris also makes significant assumptions, including: i. That layoffs would not work to cut costs; ii. That costs need to be cut in this department; iii. That product development can produce the same output on the new budget; and iv. That the project will be a success. 3. Explanations of arguments a. Cliff O’Connor Mr. O’Connor makes the argument that because sources have reported that there is a significant chance that competitors are improving their products, that AcuScan should work to enter the market. He further argues that it is necessary...
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... Response Paper Mccloskey Article In his article, On Being an Atheist, H.J. McCloskey tried to show that atheism is a more reasonable and comfortable belief than that of Christianity. McCloskey argued against the three theistic proofs, which are the cosmological argument, the teleological argument and the argument from design. He pointed out the existence of evil in the world that God made. He also pointed out that it is irrational to live by faith. According to McCloskey, proofs do not necessarily play a vital role in the belief of God. Page 62 of the article states that "most theists do not come to believe in God as a basis for religious belief, but come to religion as a result of other reasons and factors." However, he feels that as far as proofs serve theists, the three most commonly accepted are the cosmological, the teleological, and the argument from design. It is important to note that he considers these arguments as reasons to "move ordinary theists to their theism." (McCloskey 1968) This is not necessary the case and contradicts the former statement that most theists do not hold to these proofs. As such, the attempt to dispute these arguments as a reason not to believe in God is almost not worth attempting. If theists do not generally hold to these proofs as reasons for faith, then why bother trying to dispute them to theists? Continuing to do so seems as though he is motivated to prove a point few are not interested in disputing...
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...as the preferred and better belief system based upon his refutation of the theistic arguments. He argues against the existence of God by attempting to refute the cosmological and teleological arguments; as well he endeavours to discredit a God based upon the presence of evil. In doing this, he extends the boundaries for arguing God, whilst opening the floor to debate free will and the apparent comfort of the atheistic belief system. However, through careful analysis of the arguments for God, and an insight into the mysterious free will that God has given man; we see that a theistic belief is logically more sound and preferred. McCloskey says that the proofs for the argument of God cannot definitively establish a case for the existence of God. Therefore, all those proofs for God cannot be used in the logical argument for a God. However, McCloskey didn’t recognize the three aspects when approaching the question: does God exist. Through these three studies, we are shown that though no one person can empirically prove the existence of God, He in fact still exists (Foreman, Lesson 18). The three aspects to approaching the question of God are: best explanations approach, cumulative case approach, and the minimalistic concept of God. The best explanations aspect refers to the existence of God as the best way of explaining the effects that we can empirically observe within our universe. The cumulative case view tells us that no one argument can get us to the existence of the God of...
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