Apprenticeships,Collaboration and Scientific Discovery in Academic Field Studies

Teachers may use apprenticeships and collaboration as instructional strategies that help students to make authentic scientific discoveries as they work as amateur researchers in academic field studies. This concept was examined with 643 students, ages 14–72, who became proficient at field research through cognitive apprenticeships with the Smithsonian Institute, School for Field Studies and Earthwatch. Control student teams worked from single research goals and sets of methods, while experimental teams varied goals, methods, and collaborative activities in Kenya, Costa Rica, Panama, and Ecuador. Results from studies indicate that students who conducted local pilot studies, collaborative symposia, and ongoing, long-term fieldwork generated significantly more data than did control groups. Research reports of the experimental groups were ranked highest by experts, and contributed the most data to international science journals. Data and anecdotal information in this report indicate that structured collaboration in local long-term studies using apprenticeships may increase the potential for students' academic field studies contribution of new information to science.     

Citizen Photojournalism

In recent years there has been an explosion of citizen-produced content appearing in mainstream media outlets. Terms such as convergent journalism, citizen journalism and user-generated journalism are all widely used in an attempt to define this growing phenomenon. This paper explores the specific genre of citizen photojournalism (CPJ). It is argued this is a definitive genre of its own and has important implications for audience perceptions due to the narrative or “storytelling” role of the visual mage. An “action genre” approach is used to examine how this new photographic genre has been enabled within current technological, cultural, political and economic environments That is to say, that photographic production processes, undertaken by amateur photographers are examined to identify patterns of activity that comprise the genre of CPJ. Through a review of existing literature on how citizens work in the field, and the way the resulting photographs are used in mainstream media, I offer a conceptual structure to delineate recognisable patterns of activity that comprise the genre of CPJ. The strength of this approach is that it allows me to describe CPJ in a way that reveals how external factors and the practice of citizens taking photojournalistic images impact upon the final product published in influential publications including popular press, books, magazines and internet publications.     

The role of reflection in mathematics learning

Reflective abstraction is central to the theory of constructivism as put forth by von Glasersfeld. In coming to know, persons make major cognitive advances by taking their actions as objects of thought. Leamers move beyond being in the action when they engage in reflection. There are serious limitations in the explain-practice method of instruction and active learning. Performing even self-generated mathematical operations does not have the power which results from reflecting on the activity. Problem-centered learning, an instructional strategy which has been shown to provide rich opportunities for reflection, is examined. The nature of reflection in mathematical activity is also considered.     

The experiences and outcomes of domestic and international students at four Canadian universities

Most studies of international students have focused on their adaptation to host societies. By way of contrast, this article deals with the academic and social experiences of international and domestic students in four Canadian universities and, consistent with the ‘college impact model’, examines the relationship between experiences and objectively measured and self‐assessed outcomes. In general, it is found that international students are as involved in campus activities as domestic students; however, they lack particularly the academic support enjoyed by domestic students. Moreover, the scores of international students on both objectively measured and self‐assessed outcomes are lower than those of domestic students. Regression analyses reveal that the amounts of variance in outcomes explained by variables in the college impact model are lower for international than for domestic students. For both groups of students, however, academic experiences explain more of the variance in self‐assessed than in objectively measured outcomes. In addition to variables in the college impact model, value is added to various outcomes by mere attendance at particular universities.     

Learning opportunities and negotiating social norms in mathematics class discussion

In this paper, we describe our current understanding of the relationship between learning opportunities and the negotiation of social norms in mathematics class discussion. With supportive social norms, a student non-acceptance can lead to constructive discussion in which students compare, contrast, elaborate and refute mathematics assertions just as mathematicians do. Under this circumstance, opportunities for learning are ample because students are more likely to find a situation problematic during inquiry activities. However, incompatible interpretations often cause emotional responses. Negative emotional responses, when not dealt with appropriately, tend to discourage students from participating in inquiry activities. Therefore, teachers need to take an active role in helping students interpret such situations through negotiating social norms. The negotiation of social norms makes possible the negotiation of mathematical meaning.     

Developing teaching assistants’ skills in positive behaviour management: an application of Video Interaction Guidance in a secondary school

This paper reports an action research project in a school in the UK designed to investigate the impact of a brief Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) intervention in promoting skills of non-teaching staff in positive behaviour management. A summary of the literature in relation to VIG is provided before describing the project and data collected. Ten teaching assistants (TAs) from a secondary school took part in an intervention using VIG. The impact on TA skills and confidence was assessed using participant ratings of the specific target outcomes of the intervention using the Target Monitoring and Evaluation (TME) system. Participants’ experiences of the intervention were explored during a focus group discussion after the intervention had taken place. TME data suggested a positive impact on TA skills and confidence to support individual pupils, while thematic analysis of focus group data showed a number of themes relevant to the application of VIG in this context, including promotion of effective staff development.