Peer communication relationships and psychological climate

This study examined the association between psychological climate and the types of communication relationships employees form with their peers. 194 teachers completed a questionnaire measuring psychological climate. They also reported their proportions of information, collegial and special peer relationships. Perceptions of the organization's climate were associated with the types of communication relationships employees form with their peers. These associations were moderated, in part, by gender, suggesting that men and women differ significantly in the ways they approach friendships at work. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

A Comparison of Statistical Models for Calculating Reliability of the Hoffmann Reflex

The Hoffmann reflex is obtained through surface electromyographic recordings, and it is one of the most common neurophysiological techniques in exercise science. Measurement and evaluation of the peak-to-peak amplitude of the Hoffmann reflex has been guided by the observation that it is a variable response that requires multiple trials to obtain a stable mean. As a result, reliability assessment of the Hoffmann reflex has thus far been limited to trial-to-trial variability or the mean of multiple trials across test days to evaluate day-to-day variability, without considering how the two dimensions of measurement interact to affect test–retest reliability. This article compares two analysis of variance models for reliability assessment of the peak-to-peak amplitude of the Hoffmann reflex: one model incorporated both days and trials, and the other used the mean of multiple trials on each test day. The intraclass correlation coefficient calculated from an analysis of variance model that incorporated both trial-to-trial and day-to-day error variances was R = .93. Using the mean of the trials for each test day as a single score resulted in a decrease in the intraclass correlation coefficient (R _2,1 = .76). This study demonstrated that an analysis of variance model that accounts for both trial-to-trial and day-to-day error variances provided a higher estimate of reliability. Further, reliability estimation based on the interaction between both trials and days revealed that a schedule with additional test days had a disproportionate impact upon securing a reliable measure of Hoffmann reflex amplitude.     

Tourette Syndrome: a Training Day for Teachers

Recent research indicates that Tourette syndrome is more prevalent than was once thought and that teachers in most mainstream schools are likely to encounter pupils displaying the characteristics of Tourette syndrome. Research also indicates that these characteristics, and the range of responses that may be appropriate, are not well understood by school staff. In this article, Dr Uttom Chowdhury, Consultant Child Psychiatrist at the CAMHS Academic Unit in Dunstable and Honorary Child Psychiatrist at the Neurodevelopmental Disorders Clinic at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, and Dr Deborah Christie, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychological Services at University College London and Middlesex Hospitals, describe a training day for teachers facilitated by members of the Tic Disorders Clinic at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The day provided a mix of information–giving and discussion of current practice. Uttom Chowdhury and Deborah Christie relate the outcomes of the day to their own professional knowledge and experience and offer an interesting agenda for further developments.     

Preparing preservice teachers to be data literate: a Queensland case study

Data driven pedagogy has been introduced into Australian schools over the last decade to improve student learning outcomes, but are teacher educators preparing preservice teachers to be data literate? We used a survey to investigate ready-to-graduate preservice teachers’ beliefs regarding their knowledge and skills in data literacy. Before entering a course on data literacy their belief responses indicated that they had basic data interpretation knowledge, but they were unsure of how to translate that knowledge into the classroom to improve student outcomes. The survey was administered again after a data literacy course, which included a five-week supervised professional experience task of observing data being used in schools to drive pedagogy. The post-course survey responses showed students increased confidence in their ability to interpret and use data, suggesting that a data literacy course linked to the professional experience task improves teachers’ sense of preparedness to use data in the classroom. Keywords: Data literacy; professional learning.     

Politics,Poverty and Education in Rural South Africa

This article examines the relationship between poverty and education in South Africa, and how its conceptualisation has changed historically. By analysing two major inquiries into poverty conducted by the Carnegie Corporation (in 1929‐32 and 1982‐84), it highlights the political nature of poverty and also its racialisation in South Africa. Using material from a peri‐urban research study, it extends the analysis to include the underprovision of schooling, gender relationships of poverty and also child labour. The article illustrates how the relationship between poverty and education has been differently constructed in different discourses, and concludes by considering the challenges of developing policies to address the education/poverty nexus in the rural areas of post‐apartheid South Africa.     

The philosophical and pedagogical underpinnings of Active Learning in Engineering Education

ABSTRACT

In this paper the authors draw on three sequential keynote addresses that they gave at Active Learning in Engineering Education (ALE) workshops in Copenhagen (2012), Caxias do Sol (2014) and San Sebastian (2015). Active Learning in Engineering Education is an informal international network of engineering educators dedicated to improving engineering education through active learning (http://www.ale-net.org/). The paper reiterates themes from those keynotes, namely, the philosophical and pedagogical underpinnings of Active Learning in Engineering Education, the scholarly questions that inspire engineering educators to go on improving their practice and exemplary models designed to activate the learning of engineering students. This paper aims to uncover the bedrock of established educational philosophies and theories that define and support active learning. The paper does not claim to present any new or innovative educational theory. There is already a surfeit of them. Rather, the aim is to assist Engineering Educators who wish to research how they can best activate the learning of their students by providing a readable, reasonable and solid underpinning for best practice in this field.     

Exploring the impact of written reflections on learning in the elementary mathematics classroom

The authors examined the implementation of written reflections in a Grade 4 mathematics classroom over the course of 8 weeks. Students in this case study engaged in a workshop modeled after Calkin's Writers' Workshop and within this workshop the use of writing as a reflective tool in mathematics was introduced. The authors explore how students used writing to evaluate their learning and how the teacher used the students' written reflections as a formative assessment for instructional purposes. Students' written reflections were coded and these codes were used to conduct an inductive thematic analysis. Analysis of written reflections via constant-comparison analysis was used for further differentiation. The findings show students' ability to accurately self-evaluate their problem-solving skills and highlighted students' confidence level with certain mathematical concepts. Teachers were able to use students' reflections as a place to begin conferring with a student for further clarification. The written reflections aided in instructional decisions and increased individual instruction when needed. The authors include implications for teacher practice and areas for future research.