Zahava Scherz

Cognitive Implications of Learning Prolog—Mistakes and Misconceptions

Mistakes and misconceptions of high school students learning the logic-based programming language Prolog at an introductory level are described and analyzed. In this article, mistakes and misconceptions refer to errors that originate from a conceptual misunderstanding of basic ideas in logic programming and Prolog. A cognitive error classification scheme is presented in which four categories of underlying misunderstandings are identified: personification, conservation, concretization, and preconception. Examples of the various mistakes and misconceptions are presented and didactic suggestions are discussed for preventing or eliminating their occurrence.

Learning about Teachers’ Accomplishment in ‘Learning Skills for Science’ Practice: The use of portfolios in an evidence‐based continuous professional development programme

The study in this paper was carried out in the framework of an evidence‐based continuous professional development (CPD) programme in which teachers documented evidence about their practice in a portfolio. The context of the CPD was related to the ‘Learning Skills for Science’ (LSS) programme, which advocates the incorporation of high‐order learning skills and capabilities into science school curricula, in addition to content knowledge. The LSS comprises high‐order scientific communication skills such as information retrieval, scientific reading, scientific writing, listening and observing, information representation, and knowledge presentation. The main goal was to study what can be learned from evidence‐based portfolios about teachers’ LSS practice. More specifically we studied the dimensions and levels of teachers’ practice, the profiles of teachers’ accomplishment, and their ability to present evidence about their practice. We analysed 12 teachers’ portfolios (34 pieces of evidence) using a diagnostic tool that reflected the various dimensions of teachers’ accomplishment in LSS practice: P: Perceptions of LSS instruction; M: Model of instruction; T: Using learning materials; A: Assessment; I: Influence in the school system; E: Evidence preparation. For each of these dimensions we identified a hierarchy of levels on a scale of 1–5. The diagnostic tool revealed diverse LSS multidimensional professional profiles which demonstrated strong and weak aspects in teachers’ performance. We concluded that evidence‐based portfolios about teachers’ practice can serve as tools for assessment of teachers’ accomplishment (for example, for accreditation purposes) and as an authentic resource for customising professional development programmes to the needs of individual teachers.

“Scientific Communication”: An Instructional Program for High-Order Learning Skills and Its Impact on Students’ Performance

In this paper we describe an instructional model for the acquisition of high order learning skills (HOLS) and the program “Scientific Communication”, which supports its application in a junior high school (JHS) science and technology curriculum. The model emphasizes explicit and spiral instruction of learning skills, and a continuous demand for their implementation in various contexts and tasks. We describe a study that assessed the impact of our instructional model on students’ performances. Students (N=447) from five different JHSs participated in the study: One group (N=334) studied the program “Scientific Communication”, and the other (N=113) did not study learning skills through any formal program. The results show superior performance of the first group over the second in the following ways: the ability to describe and explicate the practice of learning skills; three aspects of the actual performances of a complex task: knowledge, learning skills, and the quality of products; and reports by students on the skills that they had acquired. The results also indicate that high and average achieving students gained the most from the program. We concluded that the contribution of the program “Scientific Communication” to students’ performances of learning skills indicates the potential of its underlying instructional model in achieving its goals.

A new approach for introducing Prolog to naive users

Most Prolog textbooks are based on gradual presentation of Prologs concepts, as well as some concepts from logic. We think that this order of presentation used in most books is inadequate for readers with little prior experience with logic, mathematics or programming. In this paper we introduce a new approach for teaching Prolog to these “naive” users. Within our framework, the order of concept introduction is based upon the order used in teaching logic: from propositions to predicates. We believe that this approach will ease the difficulties encountered by newcomers to Prolog, and will provide a good basis for better understanding of logic, programming, data-base theory, and perhaps also other relevant disciplines.

Attitudes of University Candidates Towards Learning Activities Aimed at Preparation for Science Studies.

AUTHOR Scherz, Zahava; And Others TITLE Attitudes of University Candidates Towards Learning Activities Aimed at Preparation for Science Studies. PUB DATE 85 NOTE 24p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (58th, French Lick Springs, IN, April 15-18, 1985). Study sponsored by the Chief Scientist, Ministry of Education and Culture. PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) -Speeches /Conference Papers (150)

Towards accomplished practice in learning skills for science (LSS): the synergy between design and evaluation methodology in a reflective CPD programme

This study was carried out in the framework of continuous professional development (CPD) programmes following a CPD model aimed at promoting ‘accomplished practice’ involving: pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and scholarship of teaching. Teachers were asked to bring evidence about their practice. The context was related to the ‘Learning Skills for Science’ (LSS) programme, which advocates the explicit incorporation of high‐order learning skills into science school curricula. The main goal of the study was to test the evidence‐based LSS CPD model by investigating the impact of its related CPD programmes on participating teachers. The impact relates to teachers’ perceptions about teaching learning skills, teachers’ LSS practice, and their professional influence in the educational system. As part of the evaluation method, we developed a criterion‐based diagnostic tool and a visual representation, designed to assess a teacher’s professional profile and progression according to dimensions of ‘accomplished practice’. The diagnostic tool can be adjusted and tailored to different CPD domains. Results indicated that requiring teachers to bring evidence from practice and students’ learning enabled us to follow teachers’ progress and succeeded to improve their performances towards accomplished LSS practice. The results exemplify a synergy between CPD designed activities and the ongoing evaluation of its impact.

Development, implementation and evaluation of a course in expert systems for high-school students (poster)

This abstract describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a unique course “Introduction to Expert Systems” for high school students. The course is taught 6 hours a week for a year. The course is part of a specialisation in “Artificial Intelligence and Expert Syst.ems” which includes courses in logic programming, artificial intelligence and expert systems, and a final project of development of an expert system in a field of the student’s choice

The Use of Logic Programming in Education

ABSTRACT This study is based on the belief that in the near future, computer programming using high level programming language techniques, should become an integral part of all school subjects, as reading, writing and arithmetics are today. A program designed for teaching Prolog (PROgramming in LOGic) as a first computer language for students and teachers at junior high and high school level is introduced. A unique approach of introducing basic concepts of logic programming within its proportional level is described. Applications of Prolog in different school subjects, and its potential to enhance logical and deductive reasoning and problem solving abilities are discussed.