A review of research related to the topological primacy thesis

Piaget and Inhelder (1956) claimed that the young child's intrinsic geometry was first of all topological and then, later, projective and Euclidean. This theory has become known as the topological primacy thesis and it will be referred to as such throughout this paper. Many researchers have supported the theory, yet a few, like Martin (1976a) and Kapadia (1974), have criticised it. This paper consists of a review of work related to the topological primacy thesis and a critique of some aspects of it.     

Multicultural And International Education: Never The Twain Shall Meet?

The paper commences with an attempt to define multicultural education (also referred to as intercultural education) with reference to its historical development and current uses of the term. The rise of international schools is then addressed as a necessary preamble to a definition of international education from an historical perspective; a comparison with multicultural education sharpens the definition. The author goes on to propose that intercultural understanding is a principal, common objective of multicultural and international education and should serve to bring together scholars and practitioners in both fields whereas the literature and practice shows them, by and large, operating independently with little reference, one to the other. Greater collaboration can only be of mutual benefit in achieving common objectives and improving practice. The paper concludes with some suggestions for collaborative research across both fields.     

The use of standardized residuals to derive value‐added measures of school performance

Measures of school performance based on pupil attainment are becoming more sophisticated, with DfES piloting ‘contextualized value‐added’ measures. However, most such measures are based on simple sums of residuals about ‘expected’ values, but it is clear from national data that distributions of performance are not symmetrical and of constant variance. A method is explored which takes account of the exact shape of the performance distribution to produce ‘standardized residuals’ which can be aggregated to the school level and give consistent measures on a fixed metric. Examples are given based on national data.     

Extinction of a taste aversion in the absence of the consummatory response

Rats were initially conditioned to avoid saccharin presented orally and were then given 40 intravenous injections of saccharin or saline. Those injected with saccharin showed more rapid extinction of the aversion to saccharin presented orally. Results are related to studies of shock avoidance using curarized subjects.     

‘A shock of electricity just sort of goes through my body’: physical activity and embodied reflexive practices in young female ballet dancers

Participation in physical activities, in and out of school, remains heavily influenced by social constructions of gendered behaviour. In addition, the body plays a significant part in the presentation of legitimate performances of physical practice and the construction of a physical ‘identity’. The consequence is that in formalized activities many girls (and boys) are provided little chance to experience the pleasurable aspects of physical activity, as well as the added benefits of bodily confidence and knowledge. We suggest that the association of dance with other artistic forms of expression provides an opportunity to contest taken for granted assumptions about sport and physical education. The material for this paper was drawn from observations and interviews conducted with young, female dancers, aged between 9‐ and 11‐years‐old, at an internationally renowned ballet school in London.     

The role of a vertical reference point in changing gait regulation in cricket run-ups

The need to identify information sources which facilitate a functional coupling of perception and action in representative practice contexts is an important challenge for sport scientists and coaches. The current study investigated the role of visual information in regulating athlete gait behaviours during a locomotor pointing task in cricket. Integration of experiential knowledge of elite coaches and theoretical understanding from previous empirical research led us to investigate whether the presence of an umpire would act as a vertical informational constraint that could constrain the emergent coordination tendencies of cricket bowlers’ run-up patterns. To test this idea, umpire presence was manipulated during run-ups of 10 elite medium-fast bowlers. As hypothesised, removal of the umpire from the performance environment did not result in an inability to regulate gait to intercept a target, however, the absence of this informational constraint resulted in the emergence of different movement patterns in participant run-ups. Significantly lower standard deviation values of heel-to-crease distances were observed in the umpire condition at multiple steps, compared to performance in the no-umpire condition. Manipulation of this informational constraint altered gait regulation of participants, offering a mechanism to understand how perception–action couplings can be varied during performance in locomotor pointing tasks in sport.     

英国公民教育现状及社交媒介与公民教育的关系——伊恩·戴维斯教授访谈录

为了更全面地了解英国公民教育现状以及当代世界公民教育的新问题,采访人与英国约克大学教育学教授、教育系副主任、教育与社会公正研究中心主任、教育研究所主任,著名的公民教育专家伊恩·戴维斯进行了访谈,对英国公民教育国家课程标准向品格教育的转向进行讨论,辨别什么是好的公民教育,探讨如何评估公民教育效果,思考社交媒介等新技术与公民教育的关系。在访谈的过程中,比较了中英两国的教育实践,总结了部分公民教育经验。     

Local knowledge,global knowledge: The role of local language literacy for lifelong learning in rural African contexts

International Review of Education - Lifelong learning is an established concept in international education, with the discourse surrounding it implying that it is globally relevant. Nevertheless,...     

Gestalt‐A Learning Theory for Graphic Design Education

This article will begin by seeking to define the notion of learning by, through and from experience. A linkage will then be established between these notions of experiences and gestalt theory. This will be explored within a subject specific context of graphic design. Links will be highlighted between the inherent nature of graphic design and those of gestalt psychology. Although reference will be made to other learning theories, particularly behaviourism, this article will proceed into a discussion on how the pursuit of a gestaltist stance has had implications upon the learning experiences of a range of Higher National Diploma / Foundation Degree learners. The article concludes with a summary of its observations and a consideration of this upon future practical and theoretical practice within graphic design education.