Perception of the future and the future of perception

The definition of a problem and the action taken to solve it largely depend on the view which the individuals or groups that discovered the problem have of the system to which it refers. A problem may thus find itself defined as a badly interpreted output, or as a faulty output of a faulty output device, or as a faulty output due to a malfunction in an otherwise faultless system, or as a correct but undesired output from a faultless and thus undesirable system. All definitions but the last suggest corrective action; only the last definition suggests change, and so presents an unsolvable problem to anyone opposed to change (Herbert Brün, 1971).This article is an adaptation of an address given on March 29, 1971, at the opening of the Twenty-fourth Annual Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.     

Metacognitive regulation contributes to digital text comprehension in E-learning

Metacognition and Learning - This study examined the contribution of self-reported metacognitive regulation of reading to expository digital text comprehension in an e-learning environment,...     

Sport under the Nazis in Norway, 1940–45

Summary

The Nazis won the battle of Skarphedin after a long struggle with the anti‐Nazis, but did not succeed in gaining the support of the ordinary members of the club. They controlled the club activities from July 1941 till the end of the war, but very few competitions were arranged and very few members took part. The Nazisseemed to control the board, the athletics and the soccer group, but not theski group. The last mentioned group made their own report from the war and to some extent they took part in ‘illegal’ competitions that were not controlledby the Nazis. The reasons why Skarphedin was taken over by the Nazis should be seen in the light of Bø's geographical location in the heart of Telemark, the economic crisis of the smallholders, and the electoral pact between the Norwegian Nazi Party and Bygdefolkets Krisehjelp. In many ways Bø appears to have been a Nazi centre during most of the war years, even if the majority ofits inhabitants did not involve themselves actively on any of the fronts.     

Revolution at the Library Service Desk

ABSTRACT

This article will describe how a revolution in customer service provision beginning in 2002 has led to an evolution of library services. When the reference and circulation desks were merged to create a single service point, responsibilities were broadened, core competencies were developed, and staff members were cross trained. In 2005, an analysis of staffing and work patterns demonstrated a need to build upon the original model to better utilize staff and ensure coverage of the desk. Reference librarians were moved to “on call” status, technical services staff were added to the schedule, and core competencies and procedures were refined.     

Behavioral self-regulation and relations to emergent academic skills among children in Germany and Iceland

The present study investigated a direct assessment of behavioral self-regulation (the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders; HTKS) and its contribution to early academic achievement among young children in Germany and Iceland. The authors examined the psychometric properties and construct validity of the HTKS, investigated gender differences in young children's behavioral self-regulation, and explored relations between the HTKS and a teacher report of behavioral self-regulation (the Child Behavior Rating Scale; CBRS) and emerging academic skills. Findings supported the construct validity of the HTKS when used with young German and Icelandic children. Multilevel analyses revealed gender differences, particularly on the CBRS teacher-rated measure. Finally, higher levels of behavioral self-regulation were related to higher academic skills after important background variables were controlled, although some cross-cultural differences in the predictive utility of the HTKS and CBRS were observed. Overall, these results extend prior psychometric work on the HTKS to samples of young European children and support the importance of understanding of the role behavioral self-regulation in young children's development.     

Desarrollo del lenguaje asistido

Resumen

La investigación sobre ayudas técnicas para la comunicación se ha centrado sobre todo en los aspectos tecnológicos y educativos. En los últimos años, se ha empezado a prestar más atención a las características de la comunicación entre personas que utilizan ayudas técnicas. El presente artículo trata de la necesidad de un marco teórico para la comprensión del desarrollo del lenguaje asistido. En él se discute el amplio tema del desarrollo del lenguaje en usuarios de ayudas técnicas, haciendo énfasis en las diferencias entre los hablantes naturales y asistidos tanto en lo que respecta a la comprensión como al uso del lenguaje, y en cómo estas diferencias pueden influir sobre el entorno que sustenta el lenguaje creado por los padres y cuidadores. También se discute la importancia de la interacción entre compañeros y del lenguaje parala autoaceptación y la identidad dentro de un grupo. El artículo destaca que el lenguaje es una forma de vida, y que las prácticas educativas que suelen tener lugar actualmente en las escuelas no son suficientes para potenciar el desarrollo del lenguaje en estos niños; deben facilitarse procesos interactivos más naturales.     

Teaching Flowers: A Photo Essay

“Teaching Flowers” reflects on humanity's deep connections to horticulture by gathering varied thoughts from seminal writers in the field. In addition, this visual article draws attention to labor issues within the U.S. floral industry by documenting the author's exploration of flowers as social sculpture in New York City.