Towards teaching science for social responsibility: An examination of flaws in science,technology and society

In this paper we continue our search for a socially responsible science education by an examination of the trends in the Science, Technology and Society movement. These trends reflect differing ideological perspectives and result in courses which serve different ends. We identify two major flaws in the movement that inhibits the realization of a schooling in science dedicated to democracy. We propose skills necessary for citizens to participate in debate over issues surrounding the impact of science and technology on society and a teaching stategy to help develop them. Specializations: social responsibility and the curriculum, ideology and comparative science education.     

No comparison: Distance education finds a new use for ‘No significant difference’

Media comparison studies have long been criticized as an inappropriate research design for measuring the effectiveness of instructional technology. However, a resurgence in their use has recently been noted in distance education for program evaluation purposes. An analysis of the research design will detail why such a methodology is an inappropriate approach to such an investigation. Increased access to such programming does not seem to serve as a satisfactory benefit for the implementation of distance education efforts. Stakeholders desire to prove that participants in distance-delivered courses receive the same quality of instruction off-campus as those involved in the traditional classroom setting. However, the desire to prove that the quality of such distributed offerings is equal to the quality of on-campus programming often results in comparisons of achievement between the two groups of student participants. Statistically, such a research design almost guarantees that the desired outcome will be attained—that indeed distance learners perform as well as campus-based students.     

Teachers' Views about What to do about Sustainable Development

In its various guises the political and economic implications of the spectrum of ideas labelled ‘sustainable development’ have been widely discussed in the media. This research engaged secondary school teachers in the debate concerning the implications for education of the concept of sustainable development. Underpinning this pilot research project is the assumption that teachers, as generally informed citizens, have been sensitised to some of the issues raised in the public domain. Teachers in both the USA and Scotland were interviewed to ascertain the extent to which they had begun to make connections between what they have heard and read informally about sustainable development and their responsibilities as teachers. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of this informal ‘environmental’ education on teaching practice.     

Video‐taped lectures for honours students on international Industry Based Learning

For a course built around a year of Industry Based Learning (IBL), devising an honours stream within the same four‐year time span required part‐time study during IBL. In the case of students undertaking IBL internationally, this neccessitated the provision of units of study for distance learning. However, in some units appropriate learning resources were not in existence. The solution to this problem was to video‐tape a chemistry lecture unit live.

This led to a second potential problem. Was the video‐taped lecture unit a suitable learning resource? Hence the unit was trialled on local students. After live lectures or independent video‐tape learning, students' results on an identical examination were internally standardised to their overall performance. These standardised results showed clear‐cut improvements when video‐taped lectures were utilised. Thus, for a (special) group of students studying chemistry at a distance, the generalised results of the trial suggest the telelecture mode of presentation to be a highly desirable alternative.

Biochemistry majors responded much more positively to the stimulus of the novel method of presentation (in their second, chemistry major) than the double major chemistry students. There is a clear general implication here for teachers of students in non‐preferred or service areas, whether at a distance or not.     

When does an opportunity become an opportunity? Unpacking classroom practice through the lens of ecological psychology

Drawing on ecological psychology, this paper considers how student engagement is an accomplishment of the classroom system. Specifically, this paper presents an analysis of two teachers and their students who were using a project-based unit in their mathematics classes. The two teachers used identical curricular materials, but had dramatically different personal histories of teaching and different instructional practices. Our goal is to investigate the role of the teacher in supporting student engagement by considering the kinds of opportunities to learn that were presented by the teacher, and the relationship between those opportunities to learn and the ways their students engaged. Pragmatically, this paper contributes to our understanding of how teachers’ framing of activity significantly impacts the ways that students are likely to engage tasks. Theoretically, this paper highlights the interactional nature of learning, with the goal of clarifying why learning is not simply an individual accomplishment.     

From the editor's desk

This article examines the underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic students in gifted education, proposing that social inequality, deficit thinking, and microaggressions contribute to the inequitable segregated programs. Underrepresentation trends are presented, along with methods for calculating underrepresentation and inequity. Underrepresentation is placed under the larger umbrella of achievement gaps and inequities in school settings with attention to de jure segregation. I argue that underrepresentation is beyond statistical chance and is a function of attitudes and beliefs grounded in deficit paradigms among those with power or social capital. Denying access to gifted education based on race is counterproductive and illegal and is discussed with Brown v. Board of Education as the legal background and a recent court case in gifted education (McFadden v. Board of Education for Illinois School District U-46). Recommendations for desegregating gifted education are provided.     

Insightful Learning of Life's Lessons with Older Adult Guests in the Classroom

An intergenerational initiative was developed and implemented to enhance gerontology in the first course of the practice sequence. Seventeen students met with older adults (ages 82–98) in the classroom and at an assisted living facility. The evaluation of this older adult infusion project was conducted through two questionnaires and by the review of reflection papers completed as a course assignment. Pre-post statistical analyses as well as qualitative analysis evidenced an increase in knowledge of the older adults' lives as well as a professional interest in aging. As a result of this experience, several of the students volunteered at the facility, interviewed residents, and requested gerontological placements.     

Helping the Gifted Escape Metaphorical Entrapment

Linguists and philosophers have revealed the powerful shaping influences of metaphor on thought. Metaphorical frameworks have inspired and confined theories of mind, research paradigms, and even conceptions of morality in the larger sociopolitical environment. This paper explores these strong metaphorical influences on thought and action with special attention to sociopolitical and moral dimensions. It reveals profound metaphorical effects on the functioning of minds as well as ideological, liberal and conservative conceptions of aspirations, self-fulfillment, success, and morality. The analysis suggests the need for more attention to metaphorical analysis and the development of moral imagination in the education of the gifted.