Linking Competence to Opportunities to Learn

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

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2. Introduction Equity and Excellence in Standard-Based Education

   Pages 1-4

3. Competence and Opportunity to Learn

   Pages 5-11

4. Models of Competence and Data Mining

   Pages 13-18

5. Models of Competence and Opportunities to Learn in the Classroom

   Pages 19-41

6. Models of Competence and Opportunities to Learn at Home

   Pages 43-64

7. Models of Competence and Opportunities to Learn in Schools

   Pages 65-81

8. Pedagogical and Policy Implications

   Pages 83-88

9. Back Matter

   Pages 89-140

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For many people, a high standard for student learning is desirable. This is what underlies current standard-based science education reforms around the world. As someone who was born and brought up in a less-privileged home and educated in a resource-limited school environment in a developing country, I always had to study hard to meet various standards from elementary to high school to univ- sity. My first book in English published over 10 years ago (Liu, X. [1996]. Mathematics and Science Curriculum Change in the People’s Republic of China. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press) provided me an opportunity to examine standards (i. e. , Chinese national science teaching syllabi) from a historical and political point of view. I argued that standards are developed for particular poli- cal agendas in order to maintain the privileged position of certain groups (i. e. , urban residents) in a society at expenses of others (i. e. , rural residents). Thus, underneath standards is systematic discrimination and injustice. Since then, I have had opportunities to study the issue of standards in much more breadth and depth. This book, Linking Competence to Opportunities to Learn: Models of Competence and data mining, provides me an opportunity to examine standards from a different perspective: opportunity to learn.

• algorithms
• competence
• curriculum standards
• data mining
• equity
• learning
• opportunity to learn
• science education
• learning and instruction

• Graduate School of Education, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, USA

  Xiufeng Liu

Policies and ethics