Learning to Teach with Mathematics Textbooks: How Preservice Teachers Interpret and Use Curriculum Materials

This study investigates how four prospective teachers interpret and use textbooks while learning to teach mathematics during university coursework and practicum teaching. Results indicate that prospective teachers had varied approaches to using textbooks ranging from adherence, elaboration, and creation. Factors influencing how they engaged with texts include their practicum classroom setting, access to resources, and their understanding of mathematics. Preservice teachers' attempts to modify textbook lessons raised pedagogical, curricular, and mathematical questions for them that were not easily answered by reference to the textbooks or teacher's guides. Findings indicate that the practicum can, however, challenge preservice teachers to be creative and flexible users of curriculum materials.     

Establishment of academic standards for early twentieth century Texas high schools: The university of Texas affiliated schools program

During the last quarter of the century several universities including those in Michigan, Illinois, and Texas launched initiatives to ensure that high schools’ academic standards prepared students for admission to the state university. This paper illuminates affiliation programs that foreshadowed the accreditation movement. Not only did affiliation serve the expectations of the universities, it also enabled high schools to emerge from their confused origins into increasingly stronger institutions.     

A critical mathematics perspective on reading data visualizations: reimagining through reformatting,reframing, and renarrating

Educational Studies in Mathematics - Data visualizations have proliferated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to communicate information about the crisis and influence policy development and...     

Compliance through care and commitment: why young people do as adults ask

Although the behaviour of young people is often a focus for concern, most young people do as they are asked. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study across four educational settings that set out to explore reasons for this compliance. Forty-four young people (aged 12–21) participated in interactive focus groups and 21 practitioners were interviewed. A critical exploration of the authority relationships between the young people and the participating adults was undertaken. The research was designed to explore the relevance of the typology of authority relationships proposed by Dennis Wrong for educational settings. The findings confirmed the applicability of his work; however, the paper argues that an additional basis for authority relationships characterised by ‘care and commitment’ should be included. The results suggest the potential for long-term caring relationships, authenticity and professional competence as key factors in enhancing compliance in educational settings.     

Le Poidevin on the Reduction of Chemistry

In this article we critically evaluate Robin Le Poidevin's recentattempt to set out an argument for the ontological reductionof chemistry independently of intertheoretic reduction. We argue,firstly, that the argument he envisages applies only to a smallpart of chemistry, and that there is no obvious way to extendit. We argue, secondly, that the argument cannot establish thereduction of chemistry, properly so called.

1 Introduction

2The scope of the reductionist claim

3 The combinatorial argument

4 The strength of the ‘reduction’

5 Concludingremarks

     

Metabolic demand and muscle damage induced by eccentric cycling of knee extensor and flexor muscles

The aim of this study was to examine the metabolic demand and extent of muscle damage of eccentric cycling targeting knee flexor (FLEX) and knee extensor (EXT) muscles. Methods: Eight sedentary men (23.3?±?0.7?y) underwent two eccentric cycling sessions (EXT and FLEX) of 30?min each, at 60% of the maximum power output. Oxygen consumption (VO₂), heart rate (HR) and rated perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during cycling. Countermovement and squat jumps (CMJ and SJ), muscle flexibility, muscle soreness and pain pressure threshold (PPT) of knee extensor and flexor muscles were measured before, immediately after and 1–4 days after cycling. Results: FLEX showed greater VO₂ (+23%), HR (+14%) and RPE (+18%) than EXT. CMJ and SJ performance decreased similarly after cycling. Muscle soreness increased more after EXT than FLEX and PPT decreased in knee extensor muscles after EXT and decreased in knee flexor muscles after FLEX. Greater loss of muscle flexibility in knee flexor muscles after FLEX was observed. Conclusion: Eccentric cycling of knee flexor muscles is metabolically more demanding than that of knee extensors, however muscle damage induced is similar. Knee flexors experienced greater loss of muscle flexibility possibly due to increased muscle stiffness following eccentric contractions.     

Contextual factors affecting the utility of surrogates within exploratory search

In this paper we investigate how information surrogates might be useful in exploratory search and what information it is useful for a surrogate to contain. By comparing assessments based on artificially created information surrogates, we investigate the effect of the source of information, the quality of an information source and the date of information upon the assessment process. We also investigate how varying levels of topical knowledge, assessor confidence and prior expectation affect the assessment of information surrogates. We show that both types of contextual information affect how the information surrogates are judged and what actions are performed as a result of the surrogates.