9. Jahrestagung der World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) Berlin, 12. bis 17. August 1956

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Agencies,educators, communities and wildfire: partnerships to enhance environmental education for youth

We studied seven programs that engage youth from 10 to 18 years old in wildfire risk reduction in their communities in the United States through in-depth interviews to examine the nature and role of community-school partnerships in resource-focused environmental education. While the programs use a variety of strategies, from Scout badge to summer school, they exhibit several common dimensions: they all engage youth in community projects; they all arise from partnerships between resource agencies, community organizations, and educators; they all began when people familiar with both wildfire and youth education saw an opportunity to improve the community and educate youth through action; and all partners are able to contribute to the common program yet retain their individual identity as they meet their own mission-based goals. We use themes and quotes to illustrate these common dimensions for establishing community-school partnerships that could build action competence through environment-based education projects.     

What happens when accountability meets technology integration

Conclusion This discussion posited that the language of accountability at the federal and state levels has established the goal of schools as the raising of test scores and that this goal has trumped technology integration efforts. After outlining the basic tenets of both standards-based education and professional development efforts focused on technology integration, we highlighted three tensions that impact the relationship between standards-based education and professional development for technology integration. These tensions are traditional vs. progressive pedagogy; standardized tests vs. authentic assessment; and technology as central vs. technology as peripheral to pedagogy. We concluded with a few suggested strategies for addressing these tensions and provided suggestions for research. We believe that the most promising possibility for transcending the tension between standards-based education and professional development for technology integration is to refocus schools on excellent pedagogy. When excellent pedagogy becomes the cornerstone of school vision and the central focus of all professional development, standards and technology integration will also find their rightful places. His primary research interest involves professional development of K-12 teachers. He has also worked with the Teacher Institute for Curriculum Knowledge about Integration of Technology which promotes the thoughtful use of technology in rural Indiana Schools. she is engaged in research concerned with the relationships between learner engagement and web-based learning environments.     

Improving the quality and effectiveness of computer-mediated instruction through usability evaluations

Brigham Young University's Center for Instructional Design (CID) creates online courses and multimedia instructional applications for university faculty. This paper asserts that including usability testing as a part of evaluation improves the quality and effectiveness of computer‐mediated instruction. The paper describes the fundamental purpose and functions of usability testing, and also distinguishes between different forms of evaluation: accessibility, quality assurance (QA), usability and implementation. Through a detailed case study, we describe how usability testing improved the quality of a computer‐based chemistry course and facilitated a clearer analysis of the learning effectiveness of this course.     

Implications of Professional Writing Experiences of Academic Veterinary Scientists for Technical Writing Pedagogy

Five academic veterinary scientists were interviewed to learn about their professional writing experiences and relate them to technical writing pedagogy. The interviews probed the genres in which they write, their composing methods, their professional attitudes toward writing, and the sources of training in writing. The data suggest that while writing is an integral part of their research, teaching, and professional advancement and is used in conducting business, the academic scientific curriculum does not specifically address this important element in their careers.     

Peritonealdialyse (PD)

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Fidelity of implementation framework: A critical need for response to intervention models

Response to Intervention (RtI) has gained increased attention with the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. Since RtI was introduced at the policy level as a mechanism for use in the learning disability identification process, much of the implementation work has focused on this application. School‐based implementation of RtI has occurred quickly in response to federal legislation, with little focus on fidelity. Regular and consistent monitoring of implementation fidelity can provide the data required to improve implementation and student performance. This discussion will include a brief review of the literature regarding implementation fidelity and then provide a framework for designing a fidelity system for RtI models. Further systematic research in this area is needed to support the RtI implementation that is currently under way in schools across the country. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

First-Year Engineering Students’ Portrayal of Engineering in a Proposed Museum Exhibit for Middle School Students

Students’ perceptions of engineering have been documented through studies involving interviews, surveys, and word associations that take a direct approach to asking students about various aspects of their understanding of engineering. Research on perceptions of engineering rarely focuses on how students would portray engineering to others. First-year engineering student teams proposed a museum exhibit, targeted to middle school students, to explore the question “What is engineering?” The proposals took the form of a poster. The overarching research question focuses on how these students would portray engineering to middle school students as seen through their museum exhibit proposals. A preliminary analysis was done on 357 posters to determine the overall engineering themes for the proposed museum exhibits. Forty of these posters were selected and, using open coding, more thoroughly analyzed to learn what artifacts/objects, concepts, and skills student teams associate with engineering. These posters were also analyzed to determine if there were any differences by gender composition of the student teams. Building, designing, and teamwork are skills the first-year engineering students link to engineering. Regarding artifacts, students mentioned those related to transportation and structures most often. All-male teams were more likely to focus on the idea of space and to mention teamwork and designing as engineering skills; equal-gender teams were more likely to focus on the multidisciplinary aspect of engineering. This analysis of student teams’ proposals provides baseline data, positioning instructors to develop and assess instructional interventions that stretch students’ self-exploration of engineering.