Beyond the nature/society divide: Learning to think about a mountain

Sociological efforts to understand environment-society relationships fall primarily into four conceptual categories. The first three, involving analytical separation, analytical primacy, and balanced dualism, all draw distinctions between biophysical and social aspects of human experience, with subsequent analyses being based on thesea priori distinctions. The fourth or constructivist approach questions this naturalized dichotomy, calling attention instead to mutual contingency or conjoint constitution: What we take to be physical facts are likely to be strongly shaped by social construction processes, and at the same time, what we take to be strictly social will often have been shaped in part by taken-for-granted realities of the physical world. Technology offers important opportunities for tracing these interconnections, being an embodiment of both the physical and the social. The point is illustrated with a long-term historical analysis of a specific physiographic feature—a mountain—that has undergone little overtphysical change over the centuries, but has undergone repeated changes in its social meanings and uses. Few of the changes would have been possible in the absence of the mountain's physiographic characteristics; similarly, few would have occurred in the absence of changing sociocultural definitions and possibilities. The challenge for sociology is not just to recognize the importance of both the physical and the social factors, and certainly not to argue over the relative importance of the two, but to recognize the extent to which what we take to be physical and social factors can be conjointly constituted.The paper's subtitle is intended as a tribute to Aldo Leopold and to one of his most famous essays (1949).     

Taiwan's identity in formation: in reaction to a democratizing Taiwan and a rising China

The formation of Taiwanese identity is a good example to make sense of the theoretical debate between primordialism and constructivism. Based on the two-level multinomial logit results, this paper proves that primordial ethnicity in Taiwan becomes less salient; rather, changing sociopolitical contexts turn out to be the dominant factor in shaping ethnic identity. Specifically, it indicates how the democratic transition has brought about various types of mechanisms, which smoothly disenchant the dominant Chinese identity. As the Taiwanese renaissance emerges to take a leading role in Taiwan's political platform, ethnic identity might be reshaped in accordance with this mainstream Taiwanese ideology. This study also shows that reformation of ethnic identity in Taiwan relies as much on cognition of state boundaries as on the evaluation of political-economic conditions on both sides of the Taiwan straits.     

FINDING THE WORDS: SOCIAL WORK FROM A DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE

Dialogue is at the heart of social work. In conversations with the professional, clients speak out about their pains and sorrows, and about their hope and beliefs. The conversation is the place where social worker and client try to find new words to express these emotions. In doing that, they construct new meanings and create new perspectives.

The role of dialogue in child development is used to understand this underlying process of social work. It shows how children learn to use language as an instrument to organize their world. The role of social workers is similar to that of parents, to help their clients to find the words that enable them to reposition themselves. As soon as they become the author of their life story again, they will be better able to reconstruct their lives.     

建构主义学习理论的理性反思

在以建构主义理论为指导思想的教育改革中，我国新课改突出强调了转变学生学习方式的重要性，大力倡导开展活动性的、合作的、探究式的学习，这为课程实施尤其是创新取向的课程实施提供了足够的空间和可能性。就建构主义学习理论在我国教育改革实践中出现的一些问题进行了探讨和反思。     

Being Mapuche today in Chile: judgement criteria for ethnic identification among the new generation

This study seeks to identify the underlying factors that sustain ethnic identification judgements – in this case regarding the Mapuche ethnic group – elaborated by a sample of Chilean young people who live in the Santiago metropolitan region. To this end a factorial survey method was used, incorporating quasi-experimental vignettes, which demonstrate social and individual determinants of human judgements. The results show that both self-identification as Mapuche and last name – particularly the paternal surname – are the criteria considered most relevant to inform judgements about ethnic identity. It is clear that there is a complex idea about what it means to be Mapuche today among young people in Chile, combining both subjective and objective factors. This conjunction shows the narrowness of the constructivist and essentialist proposals for understanding ethnicity.     

东北亚文化融合的政治因素及路径分析

东北亚文化融合是否具有可行性?根据建构主义的观点,施动者的信念造就了共有知识,施动者的实践活动逐渐确证了共有知识。而目前,东北亚地区缺乏合力建设东北亚地区的集体政治意志,再加上历史遗留问题、民族主义、美国的冷战思维等因素,使得东北亚区域难以形成地区性的合力。因此分析阻碍东北亚文化融合的政治因素,探索促使东北亚文化融合的路径显得十分必要。     

基于职教新干线的英语教学模式创新研究

结合高职大学英语教学实践,探索了利用职教新干线的个人空间授课所带来的高职大学英语教学模式创新,并论证了其实践操作的可行性。     

论外语教师的培训模式

本文从教师培训模式的角度探讨我国在职外语教师的培训问题。文章认为 ,我国外语教师的培训模式基本属于行为主义的 ,具有许多局限性。要解决这些问题 ,应该借鉴社会建构主义理论 ,从人的构建能力和教师职业的社会性出发 ,实行全人教育以加速培训对象的社会化进程     

嵌入式多任务型口语教学模式的探索

从建构主义的学习观出发,尝试应用任务型、交际型等语言教学法来建设一种新的口语教学模式———嵌入式多任务口语教学模式。该教学模式尝试将口语教学有机地嵌入其他大学英语课型,并为不同的嵌入环境设计相适应的口语任务。首先为口语教学划分细分目标,设计多个口语任务完成不同的目标;然后将口语训练以常规化的方式融入其他英语课型当中;最后利用网络化的语言教学系统,将学习者的口语输出转变为输入材料。口语表达的流利性、准确性、复杂性、交际性在各种任务中得到不同程度的训练。从学生的反馈来看,该教学模式有效地提高了学生的口语表达水平。