EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A SINO-ENGLISH COMPARATIVE STUDY IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＩｎＣｈｉｎａａｎｄｉｎＥｎｇｌａｎｄｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｌｅｄｕ ｃａｔｉｏｎｔａｋｅｓｍａｎｙｆｏｒｍｓａｎｄｉｓｉｍｐｌｅｍｅｎｔｅｄｂｙｍａｎｙａｇｅｎｃｉｅｓ,ｂｏｔｈｆｏｒｍａｌｌｙａｎｄｉｎｆｏｒｍａｌｌｙ.Ｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔｓｉｎｂｏｔｈｃｏｕｎｔｒｉｅｓｈａｖｅｂｅｅｎ ,ａｎｄｃｏｎｔｉｎｕｅｔｏｂｅ,ｉｎｆｌｕｅｎｃｅｄｂｙｇｏｖｅｒｎｍｅｎｔｐｏｌｉ ｃｙ ,ｐｕｂｌｉｃａｗａｒｅｎｅｓｓａｎｄｓｕｂｊｅｃｔｓｕｂ ｃｕｌｔｕｒｅｓ.Ｔｈｉｓｓｔｕｄ…     

Motor and coordination difficulties in children with emotional and behavioural difficulties

To date, very few studies have explored the incidence of motor impairment amongst children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (social, emotional and mental health (SEMH); formerly SEBD in England). Following research that suggests an increase in motor difficulties in young children and adolescents with SEMH difficulties, this study compares profiles of motor ability using the Movement ABC-2 assessment in children attending a specialist SEMH primary school with a typically developing comparison group and children with a diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder. We report an increased prevalence of borderline or clinically significant motor impairment amongst children with SEMH difficulties compared to the comparison group, with 44% of the SEMH special school sample falling within these ranges. We suggest that bearing in mind the increased likelihood for motor impairment is important in SEMH education, as it has likely impact on classroom functioning and ability and motivation to take part in socially and academically relevant activities.     

Using Laptop Computers to Improve the Performance of Minority Students: A Pilot Project

A school system and a university joined forces to improve the science and mathematics environment for local minority students with a program that utilized computer technology. The initiative involved individual students from all of the high schools in the Winston–Salem/Forsyth County (North Carolina) School System. In this initiative, Wake Forest University operated a two-week Summer Science and Math Experience for minority students. During the two weeks, students worked intensively with computers and, at the end of the summer program, a laptop computer was loaned to each student for personal use during the of school year. Through interviews and questionnaires, students overwhelmingly endorsed their involvement in the computer-oriented project, both the summer and academic year phases. They especially liked having access to the Internet (provided by the project), being able to use e-mail and chat rooms, and utilizing the information retrieval potential. Parents and teachers surveyed also praised the project, feeling that their students learned more as a result of being involved in project activity.     

The link between text difficulty,reading speed and exploration of printed text during shared book reading

In the current study the reading speed of the narration and the difficulty of the text was manipulated and links were explored with children’s attention to the printed text in shared book reading. Thirty-nine children (24 grade 1 and 15 grade 2) were presented easy and difficult books at slow (syllable by syllable) or fast (adult reading speed) pace while their eye movements were monitored. Results revealed an interaction between speed and difficulty. For the easy and difficult books, children spent more time and made more fixations on the printed text when it was presented at slow speed than at fast speed. However, at fast speed, children spend more time and made more fixations on the text of the easy rather than the difficult books, but at slow speed no difference was observed. In addition, at slow speed positive correlations were observed between attention to print and letter knowledge and word reading skills. Results provide important information for the practice of shared book reading suggesting that to increase attention to print, speed should be reduced. Future research should investigate the role of reading speed on reading related outcomes such as discourse comprehension and children’s interest in reading activities.     

Exploring the relationship between school discipline referrals and delinquency

There is a growing concern about violent and destructive behaviors of youth that require intervention by juvenile justice and youth‐serving agencies. This concern has led many to conclude that schools and community agencies must increase efforts to prevent juvenile delinquency and to provide programs that will facilitate rehabilitation, education, and vocational training for youth already involved. A clear understanding of the nature and range of behaviors that result in juvenile crime is needed in order to develop programs and interventions that can be expected to lead to beneficial changes for youth and for society as a whole. The purpose of this article is to describe the relationship between school behaviors and youth characteristics in school (e.g., discipline referrals, teacher nominations, nomothetic ratings) and referrals to juvenile authorities (e.g., illegal behaviors). We describe a strategy of using teacher nominations, school discipline referrals, and community arrest data to predict delinquent and violent behavior in youth. We outline data from a group of socially maladjusted middle school youth to illustrate the relationship between the two data sources and recommendations for identification and treatment of youth at risk for delinquency and antisocial behavior. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Using Biomedically Relevant Multimedia Content in an Introductory Physics Course for Life Science and Pre-health Students

We will describe a one-quarter pilot algebra-based introductory physics course for pre-health and life science majors. The course features videos with biomedical experts and cogent biomedically inspired physics content. The materials were used in a flipped classroom as well as an all-online environment where students interacted with multimedia materials online and prior to engaging in classroom activities. Pre-lecture questions on both the medical content covered in the video media and the physics concepts in the written material were designed to engage students and probe their understanding of physics. The course featured group discussion and peer-lead instruction. Following in-class instruction, students engaged with homework assignments which explore the connections of physics and the medical field in a quantitative manner. Course surveys showed a positive response by the vast majority of students. Students largely indicated that the course helped them to make a connection between physics and the biomedical field. The biomedical focus and different course format were seen as an improvement to previous traditional physics instruction.     

Flexible Learning Environments: Leveraging the Affordances of Flexible Delivery and Flexible Learning

The purpose of this article is to explore the key features of flexible learning environments (FLEs). Key principles associated with FLEs are explained. Underlying tenets and support mechanisms necessary for the implementation of FLEs are described. Similarities and differences in traditional learning and FLEs are explored. Finally, strategies and techniques for becoming a successful learner and facilitator in FLEs are presented.Initial ideas for this paper were generated after viewing a presentation created by Marie Jasinski, MindMedia, Douglas Mawson Institute, Adelaide, Australia ().Janette Hill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at The University of Georgia, Athens. She received her Ph.D. from The Florida State University in Instructional Systems. Dr. Hill's research focuses on online learning with adults, specifically exploring issues related to building community and connections with others in virtual environments. Dr. Hill can be reached at janette@uga.edu.     

The Inevitable Shift to Cloud-Based Book Publishing: The Next Step in the Digital Transformation of Book Publishing May be Closer than You Think

Software used by book publishers to manage contracts, royalties, production workflow, sales, and marketing have begun to migrate from relatively closed systems that are internally maintained, to cloud-based platforms on the Web. Business drivers behind this migration include a highly dynamic market for ebooks and other digital products, pressures to cut costs, and a shrinking ROI horizon for technology investments. While questions remain as to how quickly the transition will take, the possibility of cloud-based book publishing promises to change the nature of publishing infrastructure and with it the role of the IT professionals in publishing.