The Renewal of Science Teachers’ Knowledge: a pilot professional development project

This paper describes a pilot project for the professional development of science teachers, a major aim of which was to update teachers’ science content knowledge. The paper focuses on the rationale and background of the project, the model of inservice education, the arrangements for credentialling and recognising participating teachers, and the findings of the external evaluation of the initial stages of the project. It concludes with a summary of the features of the project which appear to be facilitating the achievement of its aims.     

Journaling During a School-Based Secondary Methods Course: Exploring a Route to Teaching Reflection

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

“Cooperate is when you don't fight”: Students' Understandings of Their Classroom Learning Environment

This interpretative study of a Grade 8 science classroom in Western Australia investigated students' understandings of the nature of the classroom learning environment. Student and teacher interviews about selected items in a learning environment questionnaire are used to reveal several patterns in participants' understandings of their environment. We conclude with some theoretical insights about how individuals experience their environment and some methodological implications for future classroom environment research. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Electronic Roads in Historical Documents: A Student Oriented Approach

The new educational approaches, as far as teaching of history in secondary education is concerned, are characterized by a shift away from sterile memorization and towards a critical approach of historical facts and phenomena; the aim is to contribute to both the development of students' historical concept and conscience and the promotion of critical thought. These teaching goals are pursued by promoting initiative of the students through self study assignments in the form of projects; students can be greatly supported in such tasks by computer-based applications, which can offer access to vast amounts of historical texts and data to be used next to the main scholar textbook and be analyzed by students. Still, existing applications seem to be quite inadequate for this purpose, as they require that the student be already informed on a matter, before the initiation of a quest for data. In this paper, we describe an intelligent information system that is designed to facilitate browsing of educational material and historical sources, thus allowing students to efficiently retrieve information on topics that are not yet known to them and expand in this way their historical knowledge. This can help in fulfilling the aforementioned teaching goals. Our system relies on the notion of the Electronic Road.     

Reward magnitude and shock variables (continuity and intensity) in shuttlebox-avoidance learning

In Experiment I, eight groups of rats (n = 20) were given shuttlebox-avoidance training. Two levels of shock (.3 and 1.6 mA) were combined factorially with two levels of reward (large and small) under both continuous and discontinuous (.75 sec on and 2.00 sec off) shock. Visual situational cues were absent after a shuttle response for the large-reward condition and present for the small-reward condition. Superior performance was obtained with weak rather than strong shock under both reward conditions and with large rather than small reward only under the weak-shock condition. Continuity of shock had no differential effect on performance. Experiment II allowed the conclusion that the reward effect was attributable to a reinforcement mechanism. The data were taken as support for the effective reinforcement theory, which emphasizes the importance in avoidance learning of fear conditioned to situational cues.     

Orchestrating Complex Educational Change: Local Reorganisation of Schools in England

This paper considers how complex educationalchange may be managed through the `metatask' oforchestration, narrowly distributed amongsenior formal leaders within and betweendifferent administrative levels of large publiceducation systems. Orchestration impliessteering the change process by organising andmaintaining oversight of an intricate array ofcoordinated tasks. It is the over-arching`complex change management theme' of ahierarchically ordered typology derivedinductively from a national study ofdistrict-wide initiatives to close or mergeschools so as to reduce spare student capacityand improve the quality of educationalprovision. The paper explores patterns revealedby this research relating to orchestration. Theresearch design and methods are outlined. Therelationship is clarified between the conceptsof orchestration, leadership and management. Ananalytical model is built-up for analysingcomplex educational change along threedimensions: change management themes, headed byorchestration; characteristics of thecomplexity of the change with managementimplications; and stages of the change process.The constituents of each dimension in turn aredescribed, briefly illustrated throughreference to reorganisation, and linked withorchestration. Characteristics of complexitydictated the response of orchestration and thesubordinate complex change management themesacross the different stages of the changeprocess. The analytical model is offered as aconceptual framework for future research thatwould test its wider applicability and as apractical planning tool. The importance isunderlined of developing generic yetcontext-sensitive practical guidance thatreflects the degree of complexity faced byorchestrators charged with managingcontemporary educational change.     

Teaching an Innocence Case Review Course to Undergraduate Students

After two years of experience in overseeing groups of undergraduate and graduate criminal justice students in an Innocence Case Review course at the University of Central Missouri (UCM), the authors reviewed the structure of the course and the attitudes of the participating students. An examination of Innocence Case Review current procedures in undergraduate institutions and law schools provides background for course design. This article summarizes the findings of the students’ experiences, reactions, and attitudes of their yearlong case screening efforts, and to the criminal justice system in general. The first part of this article examines the literature on innocence case review classes at both undergraduate institutions and law schools exploring different learning styles and strategies inherent in this type of class. It also explores the skills necessary for case review, and the skills students can take to other classes and professions. The second part reviews the structure of our courses as initially created and implemented for the last two academic years at UCM and the modifications the instructors felt necessary for the future. The third part examines the survey conducted by the UCM’s Innocence Case Review class, including student suggestions for class improvements and advice to students selected for the new academic year. The benefits and abilities gained by the students through this course become apparent. The fourth part discusses and evaluates the current class structure and reforms suggested by the UCM students, the professors’ experience, and as indicated by other universities. The conclusion reviews findings gathered from the current course as well as examining other universities’ courses, and the value students experience from participating in this experiential or engaged learning.     

Telecommunication (not broadcasting)

Jack M. Nilles, et al. The Telecommunications-Transportation Tradeoff (New York: Wiley-Interscience, 1976--$22.95)

Geoffrey Wilson's The Old Telegraphs [London: Phillimore (Totowa, N.J.: Rowman and Littlefield), 1976--£7.50 with U.S. price of $18.75]

Information Resources Policy, Annual Report 1975- 76 (two volumes, $23.50, paper, 36 and 49 pp.)

Information Logistics: Local Distribution (Delivery) of Information, by Wallace P. Wormley (August 1976, 89 pp., $10.90, paper)

Separations Procedures in the Telephone Industry: The Historical Origins of a Public Policy, by James W. Sichter (August 1976, 146 pp., $10.90, paper)