Homi Bhabha and cosmic ray research in India

Cosmic rays are very high energy particles arriving from the depths of space and incident on the earth’s atmosphere at all places and at all times. The energy of these particles extends over 12 decades from around 10⁹ ev to 10²¹ ev and mercifully for the survival of life, the intensity falls by atleast 22 decades from about 100 particles/cm²/s to 1 particle/1000 km² year. Cosmic ray research led to the discovery of many of the fundamental particles of nature in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s of this century and ushered in the era of ‘elementary particle physics’ at man-made accelerators. Even 86 years after the discovery, the sources of these particles and the mechanism of acceleration continue to remain a mystery. Homi Bhabha who became famous for his ‘cascade theory of the electron’ in the 30′s did pioneering theoretical and experimental research in this field during his post doctoral fellowship in Cambridge and later at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, which he founded in 1945, became under his leadership, a major centre of cosmic ray research covering practically all aspects of the radiation and continues to be active in this field.     

Homi Bhabha and Cosmic Ray research in India

Cosmic rays are very high energy particles arriving from the depths of space and incident on the earth’s atmosphere at all places and at all times. The energy of these particles extends over 12 decades from around 10⁹ ev to 10²¹ ev and mercifully for the survival of life, the intensity falls by atleast 22 decades from about 100 particles/cm²/s to 1 particle/1000 km² year. Cosmic ray research led to the discovery of many of the fundamental particles of nature in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s of this century and ushered in the era of ‘elementary particle physics’ at man-made accelerators. Even 86 years after the discovery, the sources of these particles and the mechanism of acceleration continue to remain a mystery.     

霍米巴巴及其后殖民理论中的混杂性,矛盾性和模仿

霍米巴巴是当代后殖民研究的重要人物之一,在此领域中他提出了如混杂性,矛盾性和模仿等新的术语和概念。根据霍米巴巴的理论,这些术语是用来描述在殖民地中被殖民者对待殖民者霸权的反馈。在他的唯一公开发表的著作《文化的定位》中,他指出了自己对于后殖民理论的观点—混杂性,矛盾性和模仿。     

Mwalimu Julius Nyerere: a critical review of his contributions to adult education and postcolonialism

Despite being one of Africa's greatest postcolonial thinkers, implementing an award winning national literacy campaign and writing extensively on adult education and development, the contributions of Julius Kambarage Nyerere remain relatively unknown within mainstream adult education. This paper critically examines the contributions of Nyerere to adult education and postcolonial theory. The paper makes two assumptions. First, it assumes that there is a relationship between the discourses of postcolonialism and the project of constructing a more inclusive knowledge base of adult education. Second, that postcolonial theory provides a relevant framework for understanding the politics of adult education and development. Through a comprehensive and critical textual analysis of Nyerere's major works on adult education and development, the paper concludes that Nyerere's philosophy of adult education and lifelong learning was very progressive if not radical. Nyerere's ideas on education for liberation and development resonate with those of Paulo Freire. By linking the principles of education for liberation to the goal of building an egalitarian, socialist society based on the philosophy of Ujamaa, Nyerere provided an innovative and yet ‘localized’ theory of social change. Finally, Nyerere provided a sustained critique of colonialism and racism, and was a committed advocate of equality, unity and economic and social justice for the postcolonial world.     

Knowing,researching, and reporting science education: Lessons from science and technology studies

Recent research in science and technology studies changed the way we understand science as it is practiced—that is, how scientific knowledge emerges from social, natural, social, political, cultural, historical, and economic contingencies of scientific work. Many science educators agree that students should learn not only science but also about science. In this article, we (a) outline important findings, research methods, and ways of reporting research that emerged from science and technology studies; and (b) show how familiarity with science and technology studies research can provide science educators with valuable insights about curriculum design and research on learning. We conclude that science and technology studies can serve as a resource to science education and that there is a potential for conducting collaborative work between science education and science and technology studies. Such collaborations have the potential to yield better theories about how people become competent in science from childhood to adulthood. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 213–235, 1998.     

Theorizing progress: Women in science,engineering, and technology in higher education

A conceptual framework of positions on women in science, engineering, and technology (SET) was developed, showing a chronological progression of the main approaches to women's underrepresentation in SET during the past 20 years. Numerous initiatives have been advocated to address women's underrepresentation in SET in higher education. This article arose out of one such initiative, Winning Women, which was intended to help higher education in Scotland move toward good practice in this field. Two members of the project team describe their key findings and experiences. They illustrate how the underrepresentation of women in SET continues to be both progressive and persistent (using an SET parity index). The conceptual framework was conceived and developed from a metaanalysis of feminist theories of the gendered politics of science and technology. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 36: 637–661, 1999     

Problem solving in science and technology education

Both science and technology education have a commitment to teaching process; investigations or scientific method in science, design in technology, and problem solving in both areas. The separate debates in science and technology education reveal different curricular emphases in processes and content, reflecting different goals, and pedagogic and educational research traditions. This paper explores these differences and argues that each curriculum area can learn from the other. Despite the interest in processes, problem solving remains neglected in each area, particularly with respect to empirical accounts of student problem-solving activities and the supporting pedagogy. This paper draws on the situated learning and social constructivist literature to provide insights into problem solving in technology education. The research reported here, gives accounts of the problem-solving strategies of English secondary school students. These strategies represent their responses to technology activities and the learning environment created by teachers.     

Memories and scientific literacy: remembering exhibits from a science centre

The contribution of science centres to scientific literacy in the general adult population was explored through the study of memories of exhibits. Visitors participated in a structured interview about two exhibits they found interesting at the time of the initial visit and one month later. Participants retained stable episodic memories of the exhibits they chose, independently of whether or not they had discussed the exhibit in detail with the interviewer in the first interview. As to change in semantic memory, for some particpants the memories were enhanced between the initial and follow-up interview, for some they remained stable, and for others they deteriorated. There was an approximately equal proportion in each category. All participants reported affective involvement at both interview times, with happiness, followed by curiosity, being the most common. Post-visit integration of the exhibit information was common. The majority of participants reported talking to others about the exhibits. Moreover, one-third of the participants reported linking the exhibit memories to everyday occurrences, thus indicating an increased awareness of scientific phenomenon.     

高职院校英语教育中如何科学应用现代教育技术

信息化的高速发展,互联网多媒体在教学中也不断得到了应用和普及,给英语教学注入了新鲜的血液,那么如何去应用这些现代教育技术更好地去实现英语教育呢?本文将以建构主义理论为出发点,结合我国高职院校英语教育的现状,来谈一下现代教育技术在英语教学中的科学应用。     

Promoting science and technology in primary education: a review of integrated curricula

Integrated curricula seem promising for the increase of attention on science and technology in primary education. A clear picture of the advantages and disadvantages of integration efforts could help curriculum innovation. This review has focused on integrated curricula in primary education from 1994 to 2011. The integrated curricula were categorised according to a taxonomy of integration types synthesised from the literature. The characteristics that we deemed important were related to learning outcomes and success/fail factors. A focus group was formed to facilitate the process of analysis and to test tentative conclusions. We concluded that the levels in our taxonomy were linked to (a) student knowledge and skills, the enthusiasm generated among students and teachers, and the teacher commitment that was generated; and (b) the teacher commitment needed, the duration of the innovation effort, the volume and comprehensiveness of required teacher professional development, the necessary teacher support and the effort needed to overcome tensions with standard curricula. Almost all projects were effective in increasing the time spent on science at school. Our model resolves Czerniac’s definition problem of integrating curricula in a productive manner, and it forms a practical basis for decision-making by making clear what is needed and what output can be expected when plans are being formulated to implement integrated education.     

Teaching contributions from secondary school subject areas to education for sustainable development – a comparative study of science,social science and language teachers

Abstract

In many countries’ policy documents and curricula, teachers in the subject areas of science, social science and language are encouraged to collaborate on cross-curricular issues such as sustainable development (SD). This study is conducted in secondary schools (compulsory years 7-9) in Sweden and investigates the similarities and differences in the responses of ten teacher groups (forty-three teachers in total) to questions about their teaching contributions in their own subject areas to education for sustainable development (ESD). The overall aim is to understand how teachers of these three subject areas can contribute to cross-curricular teaching in teacher teams in the context of ESD. This is done by analysing the group responses from data collected in group discussions concerning the teaching dimensions what (content), how (methods) and why (purposes) in relation to ESD. We first analyse the teacher group responses and arguments regarding their contribution to ESD teaching from each subject area separately. Thereafter, we comparatively analyse how the different subject areas’ contributions overlap or complement each other in a potential collaborative ESD teaching. The results show that teachers from different subject areas stress different yet complimentary dimensions of teaching and perspectives of ESD. The implications for cross-curricular teaching in ESD are also discussed.     

Leadership training in science,technology, engineering and mathematics education in Bulgaria

This synthesis paper explores current leadership training in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in Bulgaria. The analysis begins with discussion of global factors influencing the implementation of leadership training in STEM education in general and then presents information about the current status of leadership training in Bulgaria with emphases on the country's economics, politics and geographical location as specific factors influencing leadership education. A short background of Bulgaria is presented with regard to population, gross domestic product, educational system, engineering force and possible need for leaders in industry in Bulgaria and the European Union. The paper provides an overall view about the current status of leadership training in all Bulgarian universities offering STEM education and concentrates specifically on two major universities by examining their currently offered programmes. As part of the discussion, similar training elements in other European countries and the USA are presented.     

Reasoning as a scientist: ways of helping children to use language to learn science

Sociocultural researchers have claimed that students' learning of science is a discursive process, with scientific concepts and ways of reasoning being learned through engagement in practical enquiry and social interaction as well as individualized activity. It is also often claimed that interacting with partners while carrying out scientific investigations is beneficial to students' learning and the development of their understanding. The research we describe investigated the validity of these claims and explored their educational implications. An experimental teaching programme was designed to enable children in British primary schools to talk and reason together and to apply these skills in their study of science. The results obtained indicate that (a) children can be enabled to use talk more effectively as a tool for reasoning and (b) talk‐based activities can have a useful function in scaffolding the development of reasoning and scientific understanding. The implications of the findings for educational policy and practice are discussed.     

Addressing controversies in science education: a pragmatic approach to evolution education

Science education controversies typically prove more intractable than those in scientific research because they involve a wider range of considerations (e.g., epistemic, social, ethical, political, and religious). How can educators acknowledge central issues in a controversy (such as evolution)? How can such problems be addressed in a way that is ethically sensitive and intellectually responsible? Drawing in part on pragmatic philosopher John Dewey, our solution is politically proactive, philosophically pragmatic, and grounded in research. Central to our proposal is (1) steps toward creating a philosophical “total attitude” that is democratic, imaginative, and hypothetical; (2) a deeper understanding of how scientific theories can be pragmatically true; and (3) an assessment of differing pedagogical approaches for teaching evolution in the classroom.     

Critical,multicultural education for remembering and reconciliation: A discussion of an interdisciplinary social science course for international students in Finland

In the autumn of 2004, an interdisciplinary social science course entitled Remembering, Forgetting and Forgiveness: Justice and Reconciliation from the National to the International was offered to undergraduate students at the University of Tampere, Finland. The course had 49 students from 10 different countries on three continents. A large portion of the students were on international exchange through the European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (ERASMUS) programme. The objective of the course was to explore the role of social memory and justice in the process of reconciliation on many different levels. Learning activities aimed to initiate discussions on cross‐cultural understandings of how to overcome violations and forgive or forget. Among the cases explored were child abuse, the massacres in Kosovo, the South African truth commissions and the Finnish civil war. A variety of teaching methods were utilised in the course. Cooperative learning methods were emphasised. Students engaged in group work activities and discussions and listened to a wide range of guest lecturers from diverse disciplines. The evaluation of students was based on individual learning portfolios constructed by students.

This paper focuses on how a multicultural education was constructed through the pedagogy of the course, along with discussions with students who assessed their own learning process and perspectives. The theme of the course was judged by students to be very interesting and important, but the role of creative learning methods was viewed as equally significant. Exchange students, in particular, appeared willing to take greater risks in learning during their year abroad. The development of new approaches to learning could thus be an important element of internationalising efforts by universities. Finally, sensitive issues, such as contested collective social memory and complex reconciliation efforts, are best approached through cooperative learning methods that emphasise dialogue.     

The OECD study of innovations in science,mathematics and technology education

Under the auspices of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 13countries prepared 23 case studies of innovations inscience, mathematics and technology education between 1992 and 1995. While there were important differences across countries- particularly in the impetus for the innovations- there were significant similarities in the programmes themselves. In particular, all the countries that participated in the study were developing curricula that were more practical and more integrated. Other general features of the innovations included strong participation by classroom teachers in designing the new courses, serious attention to student diversity, introduction of new assessment techniques, and an emphasis on scientific ways of knowing.     

Sociology of science as a means to a more authentic,inclusive science education

In this article, we argue that insights from scholarship in the sociology of science can provide a powerful basis for making science education more authentic and inclusive. Drawing on recent work in the sociology of science, we describe how adopting sociological ideas as integral components of science curricula and instruction can provide opportunities for students that a traditional approach cannot. We focus on three insights from sociology—social networking, peer review, and skepticism—to demonstrate how sociological understandings can inform and improve the content, structure, and pedagogy of science classrooms. We argue that shifts in the balance of power and authority that result from explicit attention to these aspects of the nature of science offer a more authentic science education for all. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 483–499, 1998.     

Science, science education and their discontents: a response to commentaries on the paper, Portrait of a Science Teacher as a Bricoleur: A case study from India

In this response to commentaries by Ali Sammel, Jhumki Basu and Alberto Rodriguez, I present my perspective on three important issues raised by the commentators. These issues relate to the role of a researcher in her field settings and society, the critique of science and science education as oppressive dominant discourses, and co-opting participants as researchers. I argue that researchers should work actively for progressive change in discursive fields such as educational research, in which they are firmly embedded rather than playing an interventionist role in field settings where their discursive positionality maybe temporary and not that rooted. Regarding the critique of science and science education, my response favors a perspective wherein an understanding of the marginalization and oppression of non-western communities caused by western science and science education is counterbalanced by an appreciation of the ways in which marginalized communities can use science and science education for affecting progressive change. Lastly, I recognize the value of co-opting participants in writing and communication of research.