Dog Treat Ball: An Activity to Introduce Systems of Differential Equations

Abstract

This paper describes an activity using a dog treat ball to introduce systems of first-order differential equations. Beads are placed in the first of two hemispherical chambers of a food-dispensing dog toy. As the ball is turned, students track the number of beads in the first chamber, the second chamber, and the exterior of the ball. Students develop a working assumption, write a system of differential equations to model the number of beads in each region, and use a spreadsheet to compare their experimental and model results.     

A synthesis of fluency interventions for secondary struggling readers

Previous research studies examining the effects of fluency interventions on the fluency and comprehension outcomes for secondary struggling readers are synthesized. An extensive search of the professional literature between 1980 and 2005 yielded a total of 19 intervention studies that provided fluency interventions to secondary struggling readers and measured comprehension and/or fluency outcomes. Findings revealed fluency outcomes were consistently improved following interventions that included listening passage previewing such as listening to an audiotape or adult model of good reading before attempting to read a passage. In addition, there is preliminary evidence that there may be no differential effects between repeated reading interventions and the same amount of non-repetitive reading with older struggling readers for increasing reading speed, word recognition, and comprehension.     

Bullets or butterflies? Teaching, research and knowledge creation

This article explores current debates about the development of teaching and learning in the UK. The author examines how these debates are mirrored in discussions about teacher education and notions of professionalism and professional development. There is an account of the history of thinking about pedagogy in the UK, with a particular focus on the work of Lawrence Stenhouse and his ??teacher as researcher?? conception of curriculum and teacher development. The author argues that this is a strong and useful model for the development of pedagogy. The ??teacher as researcher?? model is offered as a framework that integrates many different perspectives. The article concludes with a discussion of the blocks and facilitators to this vision of the teacher as researcher being adopted.     

Examination for Bias in Principal Ratings of Teachers' Preparation

The Department of Education is moving to change accountability for teacher preparation institutions to include surveys of the graduates and their supervising principal following paid employment. This study describes one of a number of quantitative studies that examine the validity and usefulness of such follow-up surveys. Using multiple years of data, the authors examined the effect of teacher socioeconomic status and ethnicity on principals' evaluation of the teachers' preparation. The results indicated that there was no difference in ratings based on graduates' parent education, family income, or ethnicity. Post hoc evaluation showed that Latino teachers were rated better prepared to work with diversity in the classroom and to teach English learners. Bias does not appear to be part of principal evaluation. However, because principals are prone to rating teachers on a binary, satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis, follow-up surveys may not be the most useful tool for assessing some nuances of teacher preparation.     

Evidencing the impact of teaching-related CPD: beyond the ‘Happy Sheets’

Abstract

In this paper we report the outcomes of a national survey of academic development staff in a range of UK HE Institutions to consider the approaches adopted to evaluate teaching-related continual professional development (CPD). Despite the increasing drive towards accountability, the majority of respondents undertook no benchmarking to establish existing knowledge, there was minimal use of existing data sets, and few evaluated provision longitudinally. We argue that in order to arrive at an evidence-informed approach, evaluation and teaching-related CPD must be clearly conceptualised, and aligned with institutional priorities. The involvement of students with staff CPD could also be usefully explored.     

“Two Perspectives” on Teaching Crime Films

Due to the media, many students enter undergraduate Criminal Justice programs with biased and/or entertainment-based perceptions about justice generally, and the Criminal Justice system in particular. As a result, many instructors may be compelled to do regular “myth busting” in order to instill a more realistic understanding of Criminal Justice. However, these “myths” hold potential as learning tools in a specific course that confronts and deconstructs them head on. The current paper is about the use of popular media (specifically produced films) as the primary focus of a Criminal Justice course. While such courses tend to be very popular with students, and are potentially very useful in a comprehensive curriculum, there are many considerations when implementing them effectively. Using both student and faculty perspectives, we present the major concerns that need to be considered and addressed when implementing courses that focus solely on Criminal Justice within the popular media.     

Behavioral problems among children whose mothers are abused by an intimate partner

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between children's exposure to maternal intimate partner violence (IPV) and behavior problems as measured by the parent report version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). METHODS: The study population was comprised of 167 2- to 17-year-old children of Seattle women with police-reported or court-reported intimate partner abuse. The CBCL normative population served as the comparison group. Risk of behavior problems was calculated among the exposed children, in the presence and absence of a history of reported child maltreatment, relative to the normative population. Multiple logistic regression served as the primary method of analysis. RESULTS: Children exposed to maternal IPV were more likely to have borderline to clinical level scores on externalizing (i.e., aggressive, delinquent) behavior (RR=1.6, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.1) and total behavioral problems (RR=1.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 1.9) compared to the CBCL normative sample after adjusting for age and sex. Children who were exposed to maternal IPV and were victims of child maltreatment were more likely to receive borderline to clinical level scores on internalizing (i.e., anxious, depressed) behaviors (RR=2.6, 95% CI: 1.5, 3.6), externalizing (i.e., aggressive, delinquent) behaviors (RR=3.0, 95% CI: 1.9, 4.0) and total behavioral problems (RR=2.1, 95% CI: 1.2, 3.2) compared to the CBCL normative sample after adjusting for age and sex. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to maternal IPV is significantly associated with child behavioral problems both in the presence and absence of co-occurring child maltreatment. Appropriate attention to the mental health of children living in households with IPV is needed.     

Lifelong learning characteristics,adjustment and extra-role performance in cooperative education

Many organisations hire students from cooperative education (co-op) programmes. These organisations are interested in students’ performance, particularly in their extra-role performance. Previous studies show that socialisation processes play an important part in establishing adjustment and performance. It may also be the case that students’ approach to learning (their motivations, attitudes and strategies) influences the socialisation process, and consequently adjustment and performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of co-op students’ lifelong learning characteristics on two organisational socialisation outcomes (role understanding and social acceptance) and three types of extra-role performance (proactive, adaptive and prosocial). Data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of undergraduates (n = 1698) enrolled in co-op who had just completed a work term in a new role. Regression analyses showed that lifelong learning characteristics influenced both forms of adjustment, and all three forms of performance. Further mediation analyses showed that both forms of adjustment partially mediated the relationships between lifelong learning and all three forms of performance. These results suggest that co-op students’ lifelong learning characteristics play an important role during organisational socialisation and subsequent extra-role performance. Implications for future research and for practice are discussed.     

Capitalizing on Early Childhood Education: Low-Income Immigrant Mothers’ Use of Early Childhood Education to Build Human,Social, and Navigational Capital

Research Findings: Research indicates that early childhood education (ECE) serves various functions for societies and in turn families, including economic, educational, and social functions (Fukkink, 2008 Fukkink , R. ( 2008 ). A contextual analysis of social function, general stimulation, and child participation in educational facilities for young children in The Netherlands . Retrieved from the University of Amsterdam digital academic repository: http://dare.uva.nl/record/297883  [Google Scholar]; Vandenbroeck, 2006 Vandenbroeck , M. ( 2006 ). Globalisation and privatisation: The impact on childcare policy and practice (Working Paper No. 38) . Retrieved from the Bernard van Leer Foundation website: http://issuu.com/bernardvanleerfoundation/docs/globalisation_and_privatisation_the_impact_on_chil  [Google Scholar]). Using qualitative methods, we explored an aspect of the social function of ECE for low-income immigrant families. Specifically, in-depth interviews with 40 low-income immigrant mothers (19 Africans, 21 Latinas) were conducted to understand how low-income Latina and African immigrant mothers use their children's ECE programs to build human, social, and navigational capital. Latin American and African mothers both developed capital through interactions with their children's ECE programs. However, Latina mothers tended to rely on ECE more for building all 3 types of capital. Practice or Policy: The findings from this study highlight the significant role that ECE providers play in the lives of families, and particularly immigrant families, that goes beyond basic economic and educational supports. These findings point to the importance of training ECE educators and staff in fostering connections among and between families in their programs; educating parents, as many parents rely on their ECE programs for parenting advice and support; and working with local community agencies and resources to benefit children and families.     

Mathematics Teacher Educators' Perceptions and Use of Cognitive Research

Instructors (N = 204) of elementary mathematics methods courses completed a survey assessing the extent to which they value cognitive research and incorporate it into their courses. Instructors' responses indicated that they view cognitive research to be fairly important for mathematics education, particularly studies of domain‐specific topics, and that they emphasize topics prominent in psychology studies of mathematical thinking in their courses. However, instructors reported seldom accessing this research through primary or secondary sources. A mediation analysis indicated that mathematics methods instructors' perception of the importance of the research predicts their incorporation of it in their courses, and that this relation is partially mediated by their accessing of it. Implications for psychologists who have an interest in education and recommendations for facilitating the use of cognitive research in teacher preparation are discussed.