Characteristics of a cognitive tool that helps students learn diagnostic problem solving

Three related studies replicated and extended previous work (J.A. Danielson et al. (2003), Educational Technology Research and Development, 51(3), 63–81) involving the Diagnostic Pathfinder (dP) (previously Problem List Generator [PLG]), a cognitive tool for learning diagnostic problem solving. In studies 1 and 2, groups of 126 and 113 veterinary students, respectively, used the dP to complete case-based homework; groups of 120 and 199, respectively, used an alternative method. Students in the dP groups scored significantly higher (p = .000 and .003, respectively) on final exams than those in control groups. In the third study, 552 veterinary students responding to a questionnaire indicated that the dP’s gating and data synthesis activities aided learning. The dP’s feedback and requirement of completeness appear to aid learning most.     

Neighborhood Characteristics,and Child Care Type and Quality

Research Findings: Using data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, this article relates neighborhood characteristics to the type of child care used in families with toddlers and preschoolers (N = 1,121; representative of children in Chicago in 1996–1998). Neighborhood structural disadvantage was assessed via U.S. Census data, and neighborhood processes (i.e., density of social networks, collective efficacy, and level of participation in neighborhood organizations) were accessed with a community survey. Child care decisions (i.e., whether they chose care in centers; child care homes by non-relative, by relatives, and exclusively by parents) and the quality of center child care (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale–Revised) were assessed in a longitudinal sample. After controlling for family characteristics, various neighborhood characteristics were related to child care characteristics. In communities with denser social networks, children were less likely to experience care in child care homes by unrelated adults. Children were more likely to be in child care homes and less likely to cared for by parents exclusively or by relatives when collective efficacy was higher. Center care quality was lower in disadvantaged neighborhoods and higher for publicly funded programs. Further, neighborhood structural disadvantage was more negatively related to quality when mothers had less education. Practice or Policy: These findings provide further evidence that public programs such as Head Start and public pre-kindergarten programs may be especially important to ensure that children living in poverty in disadvantaged neighborhoods have access to the types of child care that promote school readiness.     

Virtually Forgotten: Special Education Students in Cyber Schools

The area of online K-12 education is experiencing rapid growth, yet practice has greatly surpassed the research. This article looks to add to the field by examining special education students enrolled in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. There were over 2600 students in the state that were identified as special education students and enrolled in virtual schools in 2009 according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The population of special education students in cyber school mirrors the population of special education students in brick and mortar classrooms, thus it is important to understand the characteristics associated with special needs learners as current research and practices are not designed to serve this population. Understanding the characteristics of this group is fundamental for instructional design and educational practice to serve the needs of these diverse learners.     

A ‘Partnership in Teaching Excellence’: ways in which one school–university partnership has fostered teacher development

This paper reports on some of the factors that contribute to an effective partnership between an urban Australian university and a State Department of Education. The partnership, currently in its third year of implementation, entails as a key purpose the development of school Centres of Excellence which contribute to the preparation of pre-service teachers. The foundational aims of the partnership include addressing the gap between theory and practice, facilitating pre-service teacher recruitment and providing a guarantee of future employment for identified Faculty of Education students through the provision of pre-service teacher scholarships. Data for the study were collected via two program reviews, conducted at the end of the first and third years of the program. Findings point to ways in which the partnership has enhanced pre-service teacher engagement and learning and also indicate ways in which partners in both institutions might further strengthen the partnership.     

Positioning oneself for leadership: feelings of vulnerability among aspirant school principals

The research context for this article is the difficulty being experienced by a number of school systems, especially in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, in recruiting principals. In our discussion we draw on preliminary findings from ongoing research into the experiences of a cohort of aspiring primary and secondary school principals. Our data comprise the electronic journal (E‐journal) entries of the 21 aspirants. We characterize the E‐journal reflections as identity narratives in which the aspirants are able to explore a range of feelings, challenges and uncertainties associated with the possibility of future principal role incumbency. The significance of these E‐journalling narratives, therefore, is that they provide aspirants with an opportunity, through semi‐private reflection, to begin positioning themselves for leadership. For this reason we articulate the idea of ‘positioning space’, a supportive holding environment which facilitates the exploration of potential and possible selves and we explore some properties and protocols associated with occupancy of this space.     

Film Directors

Andrew Sinclair, John Ford (New York: The Dial Press, 1979 – $11.95)

Jeanne Basinger, Anthony Mann (Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1979 – $10.95)

Richard Leiterman by Alison Reid (120 pages, $5.50 in paper)

Federico Fellini: A Guide to References and Resources by John C. Stubbs with Constance D. Markley and Marc Lenzini (246 pages, $30.00)

Richard Lester: A Guide to References and Resources by Diane Rosenfeldt (152 pages, $15.00)

Ernest Lubitsch: A Guide to References and Resources by Robert Carringer and Barry Sabath (262 pages, $20.00)

Sidney Lumet: A Guide to References and Resources by Stephen E. Bowles (151 pages, $15.50)

Ken Russell: A Guide to References and Resources by Diane Rosenfeldt (140 pages, $14.00)

John Schlesinger: A Guide to References and Resources by Nancy J. Brooker (130 pages, $14.00)

Frederick Wiseman: A Guide to References and Resources by Liz Ellsworth (212 pages, $ 24.95)     

Effects of Exercise and Milk Consumption on Blood Serum Cholesterol in Rats

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of exercise on blood cholesterol and correlated those effects with estimates of body fat through experiments with 45 albino weanling rats (15 litter mate trios). The rats were confined to individual cages in a temperature-controlled room and fed a stock diet until they were 11 weeks old. At this time the trios were divided. Group A was continued on a stock diet and exercised for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon by forced swimming. Group B was subjected to the same exercise but a portion of the stock diet was replaced with powdered whole milk, so that 30 percent of the caloric intake was derived from the whole milk supplement. Group C was fed the stock diet but activity was restricted. After 15 weeks blood samples were taken, the animals sacrificed, and the heart and adrenals weighed. The specific gravity of the carcass was also determined. Exercise resulted in a statistically significant decrease in total and free blood serum cholesterol concentration. These animals were also leaner and had larger hearts and adrenal glands. Serum cholesterol was negatively related to carcass specific gravity. The milk supplement had no significant effect on any of these measures. Several possible explanations for the effects of exercise on blood cholesterol are discussed.     

‘Unthinkable’ Selves: Identity boundary work in a summer field ecology enrichment program for diverse youth

The historical under-representation of diverse youth in environmental science education is inextricably connected to access and identity-related issues. Many diverse youth with limited previous experience to the outdoors as a source for learning and/or leisure may consider environmental science as ‘unthinkable’. This is an ethnographic study of 16 diverse high school youths’ participation, none of who initially fashioned themselves as ‘outdoorsy’ or ‘animal people’, in a four-week summer enrichment program focused on herpetology (study of reptiles and amphibians). To function as ‘good’ participants, youth acted in ways that placed them well outside their comfort zones, which we labeled as identity boundary work. Results highlight the following cultural tools, norms, and practices that enabled youths’ identity boundary work: (1) boundary objects (tools regularly used in the program that facilitated youths’ engagement with animals and nature and helped them work through fear or discomfort); (2) time and space (responsive, to enable adaptation to new environments, organisms, and scientific field techniques); (3) social support and collective agency; and (4) scientific and anecdotal knowledge and skills. Findings suggest challenges to commonly held beliefs about equitable pedagogy, which assumes that scientific practices must be thinkable and/or relevant before youth engage meaningfully. Further, findings illustrate the ways that fear, in small doses and handled with empathy, may become a resource for youths’ connections to animals, nature, and science. Finally, we propose that youths’ situated identity boundary work in the program may have the potential to spark more sustained identity work, given additional experiences and support.