Effects of a feint on reactive agility performance

This study compared reactive agility between higher-standard (n = 14) and lower-standard (n = 14) Australian footballers using a reactive agility test incorporating a life-size video image of another player changing direction, including and excluding a feint. Mean agility time in the feint trials was 34% (509 ± 243 ms; p < 0.001; effect size 3.06) longer than non-feint trials. In higher-standard players, agility time was shorter than for lower-standard players in both feint (114 ± 140 ms; p = 0.18; effect size 0.52; likely beneficial) and non-feint (32 ± 44 ms; p = 0.22; effect size 0.47; possibly beneficial) trials. Additionally, the inclusion of a feint resulted in movement time increasing over three times more in the lower-standard group (197 ± 91 ms; p = 0.001; effect size 1.07; almost certainly detrimental) than the higher-standard group (62 ± 86 ms; p = 0.23; effect size 0.66; likely detrimental). There were weak correlations between the feint and non-feint trials (r = -0.13-0.14; p > 0.05), suggesting that reactive agility involving a feint is a unique skill. Also, higher-standard players are more agile than their lower-standard peers, whose movement speed deteriorates more as task complexity increases with the inclusion of a feint. These results support the need for specific training in multi-turn reactive agility tasks.     

Video Telecommunications for distance education: A field survey of systems in US public education,industry and the military

A field survey was conducted of a representative sample of 13 US educational video telecommunications (VTC) sites in public education, industry, and the military. The majority of educational/training networks use one‐way video with two‐way audio, although the use of two‐way video is increasing. Some systems regularly establish communication with others as ‘open networks’, and others are closed systems. There appears to be a trend for VTC systems to expand in the form of VTC consortia. Poor quality audio is a problem shared by many VTC systems.     

Computer conferencing for guidance and support in the OU

This article describes the UK Open University's FirstClass™ Computer conferencing system and its role in student support taking as an example the particular the way it is used for course choice. It suggests that whilst there are students who use it freely and apparently derive benefit from it, there are also substantial issues to be addressed about its relative unpopularity with students as a support medium. Institutions using computer conferencing may need to address issues about student antipathy towards it     

Policy and practice of Holocaust education in Scotland

In contrast to the situation in England and Wales, Holocaust education in Scotland is not mandatory and is not delivered to every school student. Still, it is offered frequently. In this article we show how Scotland’s changing curriculum, the introduction of Holocaust Memorial Day, and the Lessons from Auschwitz Project have contributed to the growth of Holocaust education in Scotland over the last decade. We discuss the significance of each of these three factors, the impact of Holocaust education, and the inter-related nature of their practice with relevant references to the English equivalent. We further examine the role of Holocaust education at both the primary and secondary level, consider the challenges for Holocaust education in Scotland, and conclude that although large numbers of students in Scotland are currently engaging with Holocaust education, these three factors continue to play a vital role in its success.     

Nature's Nature: ideas of nature in curricula for environmental education

Two contrasting sets of ideas about nature in environmental education are described. An analytical framework is developed from inter‐disciplinary histories of ideas and used in evaluating a specific curriculum. In conclusion, some general implications are suggested for curricula in environmental education.     

A new publishing paradigm: STM articles as part of the semantic web

An argument is presented for replacing the traditional published scientific technical or medical article, where heavy reliance is placed on human perception of a printed or a printable medium, by a more data‐centric model with well‐defined structures expressed using XML languages. Such articles can be regarded as self‐defining or ‘intelligent’: they can be scaled down to fine‐level details such as, for example, atoms in molecules, up into journals or higher‐order collections, and can be used by software agents as well as humans. Our vision is that this higher‐order concept, often referred to as the semantic web, would lay the foundation for the creation of an open and global knowledge base.     

Diversity Knowledge in Science Teacher Education-Translating Concept to Instruction: An Example Specific to African Americans

Science education reforms promote access to quality science education for all students. Outcome disparities in various measures indicate that such access remains elusive for African Americans. Cultural incongruence is one among many explanations for this previously described inaccessibility. The intent of this article is not to report additional research findings, but to translate the information provided in the literature into an instructional form that science teacher educators can employ in the preparation of prospective science teachers or the further development of practicing ones. Pivoting around a role play, the authors discuss communication within African American communities, its incongruence with the discourse patterns typically valued and reinforced in school science, and the importance of such knowledge for science teacher educators. Lieutenant Colonel Stephanie Foster is now product manager in the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command.

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