Reflection on Teaching: Types and Goals of Reflection

We describe an elaboration of an empirical cognitive model of reflection (McAlpine, Weston, Beauchamp, Wiseman, & Beauchamp, 1999). Specifically, we explain 2 fundamental constructs in the model that were previously less well understood: goal and type of reflection.     

Trajectory tracking for a quadrotor under wind perturbations: sliding mode control with state-dependent gains

The problem of position tracking of a mini drone subject to wind perturbations is investigated. The solution is based on a detailed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) model, with aerodynamic coefficients and external disturbance components, which is introduced in order to better represent the impact of the wind field. Then, upper bounds of wind-induced disturbances are characterized, which allow a sliding mode control (SMC) technique to be applied with guaranteed convergence properties. The peculiarity of the considered case is that the disturbance upper bounds depend on the control amplitude itself (i.e. the system is nonlinear in control), which leads to a new procedure for the control tuning presented in the paper. The last part of the paper is dedicated to the analysis and reduction of chattering effects, as well as investigation of rotor dynamics issues. Conventional SMC with constant gains, proposed first order SMC, and proposed quasi-continuous SMC are compared. Nonlinear UAV simulator, validated through in-door experiments, is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controls.     

Childhood sexual abuse among university students in Tanzania

OBJECTIVES: There are no prevalence data for childhood sexual abuse among Tanzanian university students. This investigation addressed this paucity. The nature of sexual abuse was also investigated. METHOD: Participants (N=487) from a university in Tanzania completed a questionnaire which assessed abusive childhood sexual experiences, gathering information about age of victim, duration of abuse, perpetrators, amount of force or persuasion involved, and potential causes of child sexual abuse. A number of individuals were also interviewed about their experiences. RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate for child sexual abuse was 27.7%, with rates being higher for females than for males. The average age of the victim when abuse occurred was 13.8 years. Perpetrators were generally unidentified by respondents; nonetheless, a surprisingly high proportion of female perpetrators was noted. There was a considerable amount of force or persuasion involved in the abusive behavior: betrayal of trust, bribes and physical force were cited frequently. Poverty and superstition were the primary explanations given for child sexual abuse. CONCLUSION: The study provides evidence for the existence of child sexual abuse in Tanzania. Poverty feeds the "sugar daddy/mammy" phenomenon and combined with various forms of superstition is an important factor in child sexual abuse in Tanzania.     

Googling in anatomy education: Can google trends inform educators of national online search patterns of anatomical syllabi?

The role of e‐learning platforms in anatomy education continues to expand as self‐directed learning is promoted in higher education. Although a wide range of e‐learning resources are available, determining student use of non‐academic internet resources requires novel approaches. One such approach that may be useful is the Google Trends^© web application. To determine the feasibility of Google Trends to gain insights into anatomy‐related online searches, Google Trends data from the United States from January 2010 to December 2015 were analyzed. Data collected were based on the recurrence of keywords related to head and neck anatomy generated from the American Association of Clinical Anatomists and the Anatomical Society suggested anatomy syllabi. Relative search volume (RSV) data were analyzed for seasonal periodicity and their overall temporal trends. Following exclusions due to insufficient search volume data, 29 out of 36 search terms were analyzed. Significant seasonal patterns occurred in 23 search terms. Thirty‐nine seasonal peaks were identified, mainly in October and April, coinciding with teaching periods in anatomy curricula. A positive correlation of RSV with time over the 6‐year study period occurred in 25 out of 29 search terms. These data demonstrate how Google Trends may offer insights into the nature and timing of online search patterns of anatomical syllabi and may potentially inform the development and timing of targeted online supports to ensure that students of anatomy have the opportunity to engage with online content that is both accurate and fit for purpose. Anat Sci Educ 10: 152–159. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.     

General Mass Communication

THE KNOWLEDGE INDUSTRY 200: 1983 EDITION—AMERICA'S TWO HUNDRED LARGEST MEDIA AND INFORMATION COMPANIES (White Plains, N.Y.: Knowledge Industry Publications, 1983---price not given, paper; with hardback edition available from Gale Research Co., Detroit---$98.00)

MASS COMMUNICATION THEORY: AN INTRODUCTION by Denis McQuail (Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1983---$25.00/$12.50)

CREATING MEDIA CULTURE by Robert P. Snow (Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1983---$25.00/ $12.50)

THE CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS REVIEW, VOLUME I: LABOR, THE WORKING CLASS, AND THE MEDIA edited by Vincent Mosco and Janet Wasko (Norwood, N.J.: Ablex, 1983---$37.50/$21.95)

MARCONI TO McLUHAN: A SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY OF N.Y. TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE ARTICLES ON COMMUNICATION, 1900-1980 by Gerald V. Flannery (Department of Communication, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, LA 70504---$12.00, paper)

INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATION by Jay Black and Frederick C. Whitney (Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown, 1983---price not given, paper)     

Development and calibration of the student opportunities for deeper learning instrument

This article describes the development and calibration of the student opportunities for deeper learning instrument (SODLI). The SODLI is designed to measure the amount of learning opportunities intended to support higher‐order thinking that students are exposed to through student self‐report, and is expected to be widely useful in psychological research in schools. Here, the psychometric functioning of the SODLI is investigated in a relatively large sample of U.S. high‐school students (N = 963). Using multidimensional item‐response theory methods, a nine‐factor correlated model is determined to fit the data best, and to produce reliable estimates of SODLI dimensions. The SODLI is also shown to exhibit scalar‐invariant measurement properties across sex, race/ethnicity, and language‐background groups, although latent mean differences on some of the SODLI dimensions across those groups were identified.     

Walking on egg shells: the significance of socio‐cultural factors in the mentoring of primary school students

In this article I present evidence based on primary student teachers' accounts about the way in which socio‐cultural factors in placement schools affected the quality of their experiences. I examine the proposition that school culture has a significant impact upon performance, and that the strain of adjusting to school values and expectations can lead to stress and loss of confidence for a significant minority of students. I suggest that effective mentoring needs to take close account of students' socialisation into the school culture, as failure to do so may adversely influence their teaching effectiveness and well‐being.     

Book Reviews

Mentors responsible for student primary teachers on school placement were asked about the qualities they expected to see in their trainees. The key finding from an analysis of their responses was that although they were concerned with abilities relating to planning and teaching, the majority of responses were to do with student teachers’ personal attributes. Evidence from this small‐scale survey suggested that mentors believed that unless certain personal qualities and attitudes were present in student teachers, the process of teaching‐and‐learning was unlikely to be effective, however well planned and executed it was. The virtue of ‘being willing’ figured particularly strongly in mentors’ replies, raising difficult questions about the significance of relationships, character, and personality as determinants in teaching effectiveness. The implications for student teachers’ professional growth in demonstrating willingness through their positive response to mentors’ advice form a key element of the article.     

World Communication

WORLD BROADCASTING IN THE AGE OF THE SATELLITE by W. J. Howell, Jr. (Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1986—$45.00/27.50)

MEDIA IN COMPETITION: THE FUTURE OF PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA IN 22 COUNTRIES by George Wedell and Georg-Michael Luyken ($30.00, paper, 173 pp.)

LOCAL RADIO AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN EUROPE by Philip Crookes and Patrick Vittet-Philippe ($26.00, paper “Media Monograph No. 7,” 162 pp.)

NEW MEDIA POLITICS: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES IN WESTERN EUROPE edited by Denis McQuail and Karen Siune (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1986—$40.00/14.95)

THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE GLOBAL SPREAD OF VIDEOCASSETTE RECORDERS AND PROGRAMMING by Gladys Ganley and Oswald Ganley (Harvard Program on Information Resources Policy, 200 Aiken, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 price not given, paper)

XEROX: AMERICAN SAMURAI by Gary Jacobson and John Hillkirk (New York: Macmillan, 1986—$18.95)

A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE—THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION: THE MEDIA AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES by Gunnar Garbo (Paris: Unesco Communication Documentation Centre, [or, write Public Information, Unesco, 2 United Nations Plaza, Room 900, NY 10017] 1986(?)—price not given, paper)