Student Reciprocal Peer Teaching as a Method for Active Learning: An Experience in an Electrotechnical Laboratory

Active learning is one of the most efficient mechanisms for learning, according to the psychology of learning. When students act as teachers for other students, the communication is more fluent and knowledge is transferred easier than in a traditional classroom. This teaching method is referred to in the literature as reciprocal peer teaching. In this study, the method is applied to laboratory sessions of a higher education institution course, and the students who act as teachers are referred to as “laboratory monitors.” A particular way to select the monitors and its impact in the final marks is proposed. A total of 181 students participated in the experiment, experiences with laboratory monitors are discussed, and methods for motivating and training laboratory monitors and regular students are proposed. The types of laboratory sessions that can be led by classmates are discussed. This work is related to the changes in teaching methods in the Spanish higher education system, prompted by the Bologna Process for the construction of the European Higher Education Area     

What a Difference the Community Makes: Zero Tolerance Policy Interpretation and Implementation

The implementation of zero tolerance policies raises important questions. In this article we explore how zero tolerance policies are interpreted, implemented, and enforced differently in urban, rural, and suburban districts, and how this results in unequal numbers of expulsions and suspensions. Using a policy analysis framework, we explored how administrators from economically and culturally distinct communities developed an understanding of zero tolerance policy. In some cases, administrators modified the policy to meet the needs and culture of their districts, while in other situations, administrators adhered to the policy as written. The varying interpretations allowed some children to remain in school for particular offenses while other children were expelled immediately for similar infractions. Our data show that this policy adversely impacts a disproportionately higher number of students color in urban school districts.     

Establishment of higher education institutions and new firm entry

The presence of universities has generally been associated with technological entrepreneurship. But what is the real impact of new universities on the levels of firm creation in a region? The present paper uses policy evaluation methodologies and longitudinal data on the establishment of higher education institutions in Portuguese municipalities for the period 1992-2002 to examine its effect on entry rates of new firms in different sectors. We find that the establishment of a new university has a positive and significant effect on subsequent levels of knowledge based firm entry in municipalities, and a negative effect on the levels of entry in other sectors, such as low-tech manufacturing.     

Linking induced technological change, and environmental regulation: Evidence from patenting in the U.S. auto industry

This article uses a carefully screened patent database in automobile emission control technologies and a detailed regulatory action analysis to examine firms’ innovation in response to U.S. technology-forcing auto emissions standards enacted between 1970 and 1998. The study finds that under the performance-based technology-forcing (PBTF) auto emissions regulations, both automakers and component suppliers innovated and introduced more advanced emission control technologies for automobile applications. The study also shows that stringent PBTF regulation temporarily induced domestic U.S. firms to become more innovative than foreign firms that operated in the local U.S. market during the early phase of the regulatory regime. Findings of this research strongly imply that government intervention in the form of technology-forcing regulation can drive firms to invest in technological innovation.     

Research possibilities for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil

The FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) World Cup is the world’s biggest soccer tournament and is one of the largest international sporting events. In 2014, Brazil will host the quadrennial FIFA World Cup for the second time in its history. Since this premier global mega-event involves much of the world and Brazil is a major nation that seeks to assert its position internationally, the situation is optimal for exploring various issues. Scholars have examined various aspects of the ongoing preparations. Researchers have several options worthy of exploration including, but not limited to, relevant social phenomena, the social, cultural, economic and educational impact, as well as the cultural practices related to this mega-event. The aim of this literature review is to present some key areas that should be considered in regards to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.     

From Hand to Eye: a Meta-Analysis of the Benefit from Handwriting Training in Visual Graph Recognition

Educational Psychology Review - Handwriting (HW) training seems to boost recognition of visual graphs and learning to read more than other learning experiences. However, effects across studies...     

On metaphors in thinking about preparing mathematics for teaching

Educational Studies in Mathematics - This paper explores how different schools of thought in mathematics education think and speak about preparing mathematics for teaching by introducing and...     

Electronic circuit implementation of the chaotic Rulkov neuron model

Numerical integration is the most common and straightforward approach in computational neuroscience for the study of biological neuron models based on ordinary differential equations. For some purposes, numerical simulations are not enough due to the multiple bottlenecks in computer architectures. However, when electronic circuits are used to simulate in real time large arrays of coupled neurons, the simulations are much faster than the computer simulations. We present here an electronic implementation of a map-based neuron model, a chaotic Rulkov neuron model, that can be easily transferred on a large scale integration circuit and thus provide a framework for the simulation of large networks of neurons. The Rulkov model is a map-based neuron model that has a surprising abundance of features, such as periodic and chaotic spiking and bursting. The discrete time dynamics allows to tune the time scale of the circuit to the needs of the specific application. Since the circuit described here only uses 18 MOS transistors, it offers new perspectives for building large networks of neurons in a single device. This is very relevant for the analysis of large networks of coupled neurons in order to investigate its dynamics over the network and its synchronization properties.     

Extra-curricular participation in sports and socio-demographic factors in Spanish adolescents: The AVENA Study

Abstract

The aims of this study were to identify differences between the sexes in extra-curricular participation in sports and to determine its association with body fat and socio-demographic factors in Spanish adolescents. A total of 2165 adolescents (1124 males and 1041 females) aged 13.0–18.5 years from the AVENA Study participated. Participants filled in an ad hoc questionnaire for extra-curricular participation in sports, which was the dependent variable. Independent variables were: age, percent body fat, and father's and mother's educational level and occupation. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were applied. Bivariate analysis showed for male adolescents that age and father's occupation were related to extra-curricular participation in sports. In addition, body fat and mother's education and occupation (all P < 0.05) were related to extra-curricular participation of in sports for female adolescents. Logistic regression analysis showed that the likelihood of involvement in extra-curricular participation in sports was 5.3-fold (3.86–7.38) higher for males than females. Age and father's education in both males and females were independently associated with extra-curricular participation in sports. In summary, Spanish male adolescents were shown to engage in more extra-curricular sports than females. In addition, age and father's education (in both sexes) were associated with the participation of their offspring in extra-curricular sports during adolescence.