Being your own role model for improving self‐efficacy: An elementary teacher self‐actualizes through drama‐based science teaching

Abstract:

Many teachers in elementary schools lack school science self‐efficacy, largely because of their inexperience with the subject. This frequently leads them to avoid teaching science or to teach it in ways that compromise the development of aspects of students’ scientific literacy. This paper describes how one teacher was able to improve her school science self‐efficacy through facilitated action research. In response to becoming aware of a discrepancy between her school science practices and her fundamental educational beliefs, Lisa developed a drama‐based, integrated science unit that she judged successful in helping students to achieve relevant learning goals. This experience led Lisa and her students to feel much more positive about teaching and learning in school science. Rather than learning from another, however, “Lisa, the science teacher” learned— to a great extent—from “Lisa, the drama‐based educator.” This finding has implications for science‐phobic teachers and for facilitators of their action research.     

Web‐based testing: A study in insecurity

Much has been written about the distinct ideas of online testing, in which students take tests and receive immediate feedback on their performance; distance learning, in which telecommunication technology extends the traditional classroom beyond the classroom walls; and multimedia, in which text, sound and graphics are integrated within an application. By using the World Wide Web (WWW) as a medium for administering online tests, immediate feedback can be provided, tests can be administered at a distance, and multimedia resources can be conveniently incorporated into questions. This paper describes Eval, an undergraduate research software prototype in which we explore security issues related to using WWW as a testing medium.     

Examining teacher growth in professional learning groups for in‐service teachers of mathematics

Abstract

Teachers may face important challenges when encouraged to improve their mathematics teaching. Their personal beliefs, knowledge, confidence and personal intentions towards growth and change are all complex factors which may influence teachers’ capacity, and their decisions about personal change in their teaching. In this study, intermediate teachers and the conversations that took place during their monthly Professional Learning Group meetings over a one‐year period were examined in order to better understand issues teachers face in their growth and development as teachers of mathematics. We critically examine the notion and meaning of success to different stakeholders.     

Pre‐service teachers’ understanding and teaching of nature of science: An intervention study

Abstract:

This study is the third in a line of investigations that examines pre‐service teachers’ conceptions of nature of science (NOS) and the translation of those conceptions into classroom practice. The purpose of the present study was to delineate the effectiveness of an intervention designed to facilitate pre‐service teachers’ inclusion of NOS in their classroom teaching. Four factors were identified as most influential in participants’ teaching efforts: (1) knowledge of NOS, (2) knowledge of subject matter, (3) pedagogical knowledge, and (4) intentions towards teaching NOS. Intentions were the most critical factor. Participants, regardless of NOS views or science background, did not teach in accordance with their NOS views if they had not internalized the importance of teaching NOS. Those with strong intentions to address NOS explicitly were more successful. Those participants with strong intentions, well‐developed NOS views, and extensive knowledge of science content were most successful in their instruction. Implications for the development of pedagogical content knowledge for NOS are discussed.     

Smartphones or laptops in the collaborative classroom? A study of video-based learning in higher education

This paper explores how the use of smartphones vs. laptops influences students’ engagement, behaviour and experience watching academic videos in a collaborative classroom. Experiments were run in authentic teaching sessions with a total of 483 first-year higher education students. The methodology applied is a quasi-experimental design with post-test-only, being the independent variable, the device used to visualise the academic videos. Results indicate that the use of laptops has provided better results in terms of student’s engagement with the videos, their collaborative behaviour and satisfaction with the device. Hence, the findings of this research suggest that the type of mobile device used in activities that consider the use of videos in a collaborative class need to be carefully chosen to maximise the student’s comfortability – and in consequence, their engagement with the video-based learning activity and their positive behaviour and experience within the collaborative context.     

A case study in library‐based scholarly publishing: The university of Michigan library's scholarly publishing office

In recent years, institutions of higher learning and research and the libraries that support them have become increasingly concerned about the costs and conditions of the publication and distribution of scholarship. In response, several universities have begin to explore the possibility of their libraries functioning as publishers, particularly looking to explore the possibilities and costs of electronic publication. The University of Michigan Library's Scholarly Publishing Office(l) (SPO) is one such institutional venue for the electronic publication and distribution of scholarly content. This discussion summarizes some of the policy issues that led to the creation of SPO, and describes SPO's organisation and some of the activities that instantiate its mission of building sustainable publication models that bridge the gap between academic self‐publishing and large, aggregated, commercial publishing. It also raises several questions about how libraries should function as publishers, and about cooperation and collaboration in building alternative venues for scholarly publishing. In detailing the work of SPO, the author hopes to use it as a case study to illuminate the mission of library‐based scholarly publishing efforts and the challenges such efforts must meet in order to succeed.     

‘It's more than knowing the science’: A case study in elementary science curriculum review

Abstract:

This research exercise, based on the initial stage of a school‐wide science curriculum improvement project, explores the factors influencing science program delivery in a multicultural elementary school in northwestern Canada. Using a validated science program delivery evaluation tool, the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire (SCIQ), as a foundation for data collection, staff discussion, and collaborative decision making, a school embarks on a self‐review process to, first of all, identify factors influencing science program delivery and, second, identify strategies for improvement of science delivery. Implications of this self‐review process on science program delivery improvement are discussed, especially within the context of the adequacy of teacher pedagogical‐content knowledge within a multicultural context. As well, recognizing the limitations of the SCIQ within the context of study, modifications to the SCIQ are also presented.     

Typology of teacher perception toward distance education issues – A study of college information department teachers in Taiwan

The popularity of distance education has grown rapidly over the last decade in Taiwan’s higher education, yet many fundamental teaching–learning issues are still in debate. While teacher–student interaction is a key success factor in distance education, little work has been done on the teachers. The intent of this research was to clarify teacher’s perceptions on key distance education issues and to develop a discernible typology of different groups of teachers based on their perceptions. Because there may be a gulf between teachers and the technology used in distance education, the target of this study was teachers in information related departments in Taiwan’s colleges, who were more familiar with current technology. Factor analysis and cluster analysis were used to derive the typology. Five higher-level issue constructs emerged from the factor analysis: learning effect, customization, administrative challenges, geographic and resource integration, and instructional design challenges. Four groups of teachers, namely the skeptics, the optimists, the mild-promising group, and the outlier, were identified using cluster analysis of teachers’ perceptions on these five higher-level issue constructs. The profiles of the four groups of teachers were summarized and implications were discussed, which should provide useful insights to the policy makers of higher education on distance education decisions.     

Of ‘knowing science’ and of ‘doing science’: A reaffirmation of the tacit and the affective in science and science education

Abstract:

Most of school science concentrates on helping students gain a knowledge and understanding of explicit science, which may subsequently be tested in examinations. It presents a picture of science as a secure body of knowledge, gained by scientists working according to the standard procedures of science. In this paper I stress a different model of science: the looseness of the knowledge held, the idiosyncratic methods by which it is obtained, and the personal way in which it is used to solve problems. I also stress the importance of tacit knowledge and the affective driving force, which describe the personal knowledge that scientists both hold and utilize; I analyse the nature of authentic science in terms of the type of knowledge that scientists know and the way in which scientists work. The arguments for and against such authentic science in schools are considered, together with the factors limiting its practicality. Influenced by the writing of Polanyi, Hodgkin, and Claxton and by experience of, and researches into, students doing problem‐solving projects in schools, I argue that it is desirable, and possible, to incorporate some such authentic science into the school science curriculum. In spite of many unsympathetic pressures acting on current schooling, I believe that there is a vital need to reaffirm the importance of the tacit and the affective in school science.     

A complex study of Etna's volcanic plume from ground‐based,in situ and space‐borne observations

Two periods of transboundary transport of volcanic aerosols and debris following recent eruptions of Mount Etna, Italy, were examined using ground‐based and satellite spectrophotometric measurements together with Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) and aerosol filter observations in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece. Independent columnar SO₂ measurements from ground and space identified peaks at Greek sites after the volcanic eruptions. LiDAR measurements of the aerosol extinction at Thessaloniki and Athens performed in July 2001 have shown the height of the volcanic plume to be about 3.5 km asl and the optical thickness of the dust layer to be of the order of 3×10^?3 at 532 nm. Strong ozone depletion observed at the volcano plume level by using ozonesonde ascents may be attributed to the in‐plume processes that generate reactive halogens, which in turn destroy ozone. The chemical and elemental composition of aerosol samples, taken at the Earth's surface, was analysed and confirmed the volcanic origin of the dust.     

Electronic networking in initial teacher education: is a virtual faculty of education possible?

This article is a report of the use of an electronic network by trainee teachers in a `school-based' initial teacher education course to facilitate discussion between participants. A rational for incorporating computer conferencing, drawing on teachers' knowledge and how this might be acquired, is presented. The potential of electronic networks for sharing ideas about teaching, and encouraging `reflective practice', is examined. Features of one application of electronic working are briefly described, and data are reported on the extent to which the potential of the medium was realised with the trainee teachers in a specific case. Deeply held concerns about computer conferencing by these trainees indicates that participation in a `virtual community' cannot be assumed when computer conferencing is introduced into initial teacher education courses.     

Interactive reconstructive student modeling: A machine‐learning approach

Reconstructive bug modeling is a well‐known approach to student modeling in intelligent tutoring systems, suitable for modeling procedural tasks. Domain knowledge is decomposed into the set of primitive operators and the set of conditions of their applicability. Reconstructive modeling is capable of describing errors that come from irregular application of correct operators. The main obstacle to successfulness of this approach is such decomposition of domain knowledge to primitive operators with a very low level of abstraction so that bugs could never occur within them. The other drawback of this modeling scheme is its efficiency because it is usually done offline, due to vast search spaces involved.

This article reports a novel approach to reconstructive modeling based on machine‐learning techniques for inducing procedures from traces. The approach overcomes the problems of reconstructive modeling by its interactive nature. It allows online model generation by using domain knowledge and knowledge about the student to focus the search on the portion of the problem space the student is likely to traverse while solving the problem. Furthermore, the approach is not only incremental, but also truly interactive because it involves the student in explicit dialogs about his or her goals. In such a way, it is possible to determine whether the student knows the operator he or she is trying to apply. Pedagogical actions and the student model are generated interchangeably, thus allowing for dynamic adaptation of instruction, problem generation, and immediate feedback on student's errors. The approach presented is examined in the context of the symbolic integration tutoring system (SINT), an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) for the domain of symbolic integration.     

ASTER‐based study of the night‐time urban heat island effect in Metro Manila

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) was used to derive land surface temperatures to quantify the night‐time urban heat island (UHI) effect in Metro Manila. Temperature differences between Metro Manila and its adjacent rural towns were compared to determine heat island intensity and analyse spatial variation of surface temperature. Transects were drawn across from the rural to the urban region to characterize the UHI profile and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to examine the relationship between amount of vegetation and temperature. The thermal images revealed the highest UHI intensity to be 2.96°C with the presence of a heat island existing in the central part of the city. The transects described the cross‐sectional heat island profile characterized by gradients of ‘cliffs’, ‘plateaus’ and a ‘peak’ occurring in the city centre. The study also showed an inverse relationship between NDVI and temperature, which suggests that increasing the amount of plants in cities can reduce the UHI effect.     

Training materials for advanced information skills in engineering: A web‐based approach

This paper describes the GAELS Information Skills course, the product of a collaborative project involving the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde. The project team developed a WWW‐based course providing training in information skills for post‐graduate students in engineering. The rationale behind the course is outlined, and the target users, the course itself and the method of design and construction are described. Finally, lessons learnt in the course of the project are examined.     

Students’ attitudes towards science: A long‐term perspective

Abstract

In this study the attitudes of 4 students, 2 boys and 2 girls, towards science were followed over the course of 6 years. Data were obtained in two ways: First, and principally, the students were interviewed annually in their homes from the ages of 11 to 16 years, and again at the age of 17, one year after the ending of their compulsory schooling; and secondly, the students were observed during their science lessons in an English state (non‐fee‐paying) school, from 1994 to 1999. Each student's attitudes towards science and her/his experiences of her/his school science education are described by means of quotations and episodic biographical vignettes. These allow us to track the ways in which the students’ attitudes about science developed over the course of the study. The findings help to shed light on the reasons why many students lose interest in science during the course of their secondary science education.     

Tectonic evolution of Duns in Kumaun Sub‐Himalaya,India: a remote sensing and GIS‐based study

The tectonic evolution of the Sub‐Himalayan longitudinal intermontane valleys, called ‘Duns’, in the Kumaun region of India is not yet understood as the thick forest cover and extensive anthropogenic modifications of the landscape have made it difficult to identify the various tectonic and geomorphic features. In this paper we present a conceptual model of the tectonic evolution of Kota and Pawalgarh Duns of the region, based on interpretation of digitally processed IRS P6 LISS III imagery and analyses of Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) in a Geographic Information System (GIS), together with field investigations. The Duns were formed as the fault‐bend folded hills came up in front of the southern piedmont zone of the frontal Himalaya along the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) and the Pawalgarh Fault. The landscape of the Duns is further modified as a result of movement along subsequently developed transverse faults.     

The development of computer‐based tools to support ergonomics in design education and practice

Abstract

Ergonomics is not always used effectively by practising designers, and is still seen as limiting their creativity. Reasons for this include: ergonomics information is not presented in a readily assimilated form to designers during their design education and later design activities; design decisions relating to ergonomics issues are not addressed and discussed systematically by all members of the design team during concept design; the user centred approach that ergonomics encourages in design is not always included as part of the education of future designers.

With computers being used more widely in design and design education, they could be used to deliver ergonomics information and help structure discussion of ergonomics issues amongst the design team from the earliest stages of design. This paper describes findings relating to the use of ergonomics in automotive design, and proposes two tools which could enhance the use of ergonomics in design education and in current and future design practice.     

Developing knowledge‐based decision support systems in public sector administration: A case study in the treasury department,ministry of finance,Malaysia

Since its introduction in the early 1970s the Decision Support System (DSS) concept has attracted a lot of attention from academics as well as users from business organizations. The literature abounds with accounts of systems that are claimed to have used the concept. The common characteristics of most of these systems are that they rely heavily on the use of quantitative models. In ill‐structured and higher level decision making quantitative models are used in conjunction with the qualitative models; in these cases a different approach and method in DSS development needs to be adopted. The objectives of this paper are twofold: to give a brief overview of the concept of DSS and Knowledge‐Based Systems and to describe the approach adopted and experience gained in conceptual analysis and modelling of the decision making process in an attempt to develop a Knowledge‐Based Decision Support System for Public Sector Management.     

Innovations in science education: Challenging and changing teachers’ roles and beliefs

Abstract:

This qualitative case study sought to identify and explore new roles adopted by three science teachers when the context of teaching and learning science was drastically changed. The study was conducted in a school utilizing student‐centred, self‐paced learning, where traditional classrooms have been replaced by subject‐specific resource areas and seminar rooms. Students do not follow a fixed daily schedule; instead, they plan their own school day and move freely between resource areas at self‐directed, often irregular intervals, according to daily and weekly goals. Through interviews, classroom observation, and personal journals, the study explored the ways in which the teachers perceived and implemented their roles in the changed context.