Anna Zofia Krygowska

The article is a biography of A. Z. Krygowska (1904–1988) covering her school years, university studies and professional work as a teacher, teacher trainer, and scientist. The author emphasizes the great influence of A. Z. Krygowska's teaching experience on her interest and scientific work in the didactics of mathematics. Her most important achievements in the theory and practice of the teaching of mathematics are also presented.     

COMMUNICATING ACROSS CULTURES AND DISCIPLINES: THE BUCHAREST READING GROUP AS EMBODIED SOCIAL KNOWING

This article reports on a pedagogical experiment conducted by three American Soros Foundation‐sponsored professors and several Romanian sociology students who formed a reading circle. Its purpose was to encourage an exchange of ideas among students and teachers in an informal setting. Beginning in 1994, its first topic of discussion was Sex, Love, and Death in Postmodern Literature. During the following year, the topic was Public and Private Space in Society, and for the current (1996‐1997) academic year, it is Communication: Embodied Action in Culture. Partially presented in an interview format, this article serves as an interim evaluation of this type of teaching‐learning experience and also of the possibilities of academic mobility.     

Strong Periphery,Weak Centre: The Paradox of Sport in Early Twentieth-Century Romania

Abstract

When looking at the impact of the political, territorial, and social transformations which occurred in Central and Eastern Europe after the defeat of the Central Powers in the First World War, an evidence check suggests that sport was deeply influenced by the sudden disappearance of the Habsburg Empire. This article examines the shift triggered in the relation between a ‘centre’ (e.g. Bucharest) and a ‘periphery’ (former Austro-Hungarian provinces) of sporting life by the political outcome of the First World War. The joy and difficulties surrounding the emergence of ‘Greater Romania’ were well highlighted in the field of sport by tensions which appeared mostly in internal competitions and debates, rather than in the international arena.     

Reading at Home and at School in the Primary Grades: Cultural and Social Influences

Hispanic children are twice as likely as European American children to read below average for grade level. Some of this difference may be related to the home literacy practices children experience. To study this, the school reading achievement of 75 European American and 53 Hispanic second graders was examined in relation to their home reading practices. Results indicate that reading at home, specifically how often children read, with whom they read, and their active initiation of reading, are related to school reading achievement in both groups. These relations were more pronounced for European American boys and Hispanic girls, and fewer relations were found for Hispanic children whose mothers spoke solely Spanish. Results are discussed in relation to home-based opportunities in these two communities for children in the primary grades to develop reading skills.     

Romanian University Physics Teaching and Research (1860–1940)

The evolution of physics teaching and research in the two most important Romanian intellectual centers Bucharest and Jassy is discussed. Three stages of historical development are reported: 1860–1890: teaching process is predominant; period of first laboratories setting-up; sporadic researches in Physics Departments of Universities; 1890–1940: appearance of small dedicated research centers around Universities (Meteorological, Seismological, Electrotechnical Institutes); after the World War II: founding of contemporary Physics Institutes, e.g. Institute of Atomic Physics, Bucharest. The recognition role played by the Romanian Academy (Scientifical Sessions and Journals) is mentioned. Short biographies of the most important professors-physicists from 1860 to 1940 are presented. Celebrations, in 1996, of one century from the first atomic physics experiment in Romania (a X-ray radiography by D. Hurmuzescu) and of the 100th birthday of H. Hulubei, the founder of modern Romanian Physics are discussed.     

Genetics in medical school curriculum： A look at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Genetics is assuming an increasingly important role in medicine. As a result, the teaching of genetics should also be increased proportionally to ensure that future physicians will be able to take advantage of the new genetic technology, and to understand the associated ethical, legal and social issues. At the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, we have been able to incorporate genetic education into a four-year medical curriculum in a fully integrated fashion. This model may serve as a template for other medical curriculum still in development.     

Standards of practice to standards of evidence: developing assessment capable teachers

Abstract

Teacher education is a hotly debated policy area in higher education and schooling portfolios, with increasing emphasis on standards and accountability. It is in this environment that The Standards Project (2013–2015) presented in this article began. It has at its core a three-part commitment: first, to undertake a comprehensive audit and analysis of all teacher education programmes in the state of Queensland, Australia, to establish the approaches and practices Universities relied on to preparing beginning teachers as assessment capable; second, to take account of multiple perspectives and approaches in initial teacher education to integrating data into how beginning teachers are prepared to source and use evidence for improving learning and teaching; and further, to develop new principles, policy and practices for reviewing and moderating teacher education programmes against professional standards. The paper proposes a move beyond the discourse of professional standards of practice towards a complementary discourse of standards of evidence. In our collaboration we drew on two fields, namely the writing on teacher education including reviews, and the field of assessment, both considered within broader sociocultural theory applied to assessment.