Characteristics of an innovative learning environment according to students’ perceptions: actual versus preferred

An innovative learning environment is the current outcome of the constructivist approach, the essence of which is co-construction of knowledge in an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment. We examined how Israeli students perceived 10 characteristics of their classroom learning environment—student cohesiveness, teacher support, involvement, task orientation, investigation, cooperation, equity, differentiation, computer usage and young adult ethos. Particular foci were students’ perceptions of the actual state of their learning environment compared with the preferred state, and which characteristics predicted students’ cooperation. Participants were 1022 students in 33 classes from 12 computerised elementary and middle schools in Israel. Data were collected using the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI). Results indicated a gap between the actual and the preferred states for all characteristics, although the scope of these gaps differed between elementary-schools students and middle-school students for certain characteristics. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis indicated that nine characteristics of the innovative environment in both actual and preferred states were related to cooperation, with these relations being primarily direct with the exception of teacher support and differentiation which had an indirect influence. Teacher support was mediated through student cohesiveness, involvement, equity and young adult ethos, whereas differentiation was mediated through investigation. Evaluation of the innovative learning environment might lead to better insights regarding the behaviours and needs of twenty-first century students in Israel’s education system. These insights could advance constructivist processes and teaching methods and bring the students to effective cooperative learning in an innovative learning environment.     

Educational inequality in Tasmania: evidence and explanations

In this article, we map the extent of educational inequality within Tasmania, and between Tasmania and the rest of Australia, using National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and senior secondary attainment data. This analysis yields some surprising findings, showing the success of Tasmanian primary and high schools and that Tasmanian educational inequality is most strongly expressed at the senior secondary level. We conclude that using such publicly available data to identify differential achievement within and between jurisdictions would strengthen public policy and practitioner interventions aimed at achieving more equal educational outcomes for students in all schools. Our findings also have implications for research directions in this field, suggesting that by analysis of NAPLAN and My School data across individual schools and jurisdictions academic researchers could assist practitioners gain a deeper understanding of inequalities reproduced by the systems they are working within, while finding examples of schools and systems which show a greater level of success in ameliorating disadvantage.     

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery （VATS） for bilateral primary spontaneous pneumothorax

Objective:To review our experience of the treatment of bilateral primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Materials and methods: Retrospective chart review was followed by an on-clinic or telephone interview. Patients were cared for by one thoracic surgeon in four medical centers or community hospitals in Northern and Central Taiwan. Thirteen patients with bilateral PSP underwent bilateral VATS simultaneously or sequentially from July 1994 to December 2005. Results: Twelve males and one female, with age ranging from 15 to 36 years (mean 23.1 years), were treated with VATS for bilateral PSP, under the indications of bilateral pneumothoracis simultaneously (n=4) or sequentially (n=9). The interval between the first and second contra-lateral VATS procedure for non-simultaneous PSP patients ranged from 7 d to 6 years. Eleven of 13 patients (84.6%) had prominent pulmonary bullae/blebs, and underwent bullae resection with mechanical or chemical pleurodesis. The mean operative time was (45.6±18.3) min (range 25-96 min) and (120.6±28.7) min (range 84-166 min) respectively for the non-simultaneous (second VATS for the recurrence of contralateral side after first VATS) and simultaneous (bilateral VATS in one operation) procedures. There was no postoperative mortality. However, prolonged air leakage (>7 d) occurred in one patient (7.7%) who recovered after conservative treatment. The mean duration of chest tube drainage was 3.1 d and the median follow up period was 3.4 years. Conclusions: VATS is a safe and effective procedure in the treatment of bilateral PSP. Bilateral VATS is only recommended for patients with simultaneously bilateral PSP, because the incidence of recurrence, even with visible bullae, was not so high in my group and in some previous literature. Bilateral VATS in a supine position should only be used in selective cases, because of possible pleural adhesion or hidden bullae on the posterior side.     

面向就业的美国职业群课程模式探析

美国职业群课程模式以经济发展和就业需求为本，旨在培养学生的就业弹性和职业适应能力。实现其终身职业生涯发展。它以职业群分类和职业途径为依据，构建有序的课程体系。在实施过程中注重为学生制定系统的学习计划、加强职业指导服务和广泛建立合作伙伴，并逐渐开展了基于职业技能标准的课程评估。当前，职业群课程模式在联邦和州政府的管理和支持下得到了普及和推广，但也存在一些亟待克服的困难和问题。     

关于VFP教学过程若干问题的探讨

对VFP教学内容的组织、VFP教学的重点和难点、VFP教学过程的实践性环节等问题进行了探讨。     

一种流媒体Caching策略

It is expected that by 2003 continuous media will account for more than 50% of the data available on origin servers, this will provoke a significant change in Internet workload. Due to the high bandwidth requirements and the long-lived nature of digital video, streaming server loads and network bandwidths are proven to be major limiting factors. Aiming at the characteristics of broadband network in residential areas, this paper proposes a popularity-based server-proxy caching strategy for streaming media. According to a streaming media popularity on streaming server and proxy, this strategy caches the content of the streaming media partially or completely. The paper also proposes two formulas that calculate the popularity coefficient of a streaming media on server and proxy, and caching replacement policy. As expected, this strategy decreases the server load, reduces the traffic from streaming server to proxy, and improves client start-up latency.     

杂交水稻苗期生长与~(32)P~(14)C在分蘖的分布

用放射性同位素示踪技术,测定早、晚季10多个杂交水稻及其亲本中~(32)P、~(14)C在分蘖的分布(％),并统计其分蘖数量与~(32)P、~(14)C的相关性。结果表明,多数杂交水稻的分蘖数量与~(32)P在分蘖的分布(％)呈显著或极显著正相关,而与~(14)C也呈正的相关性;杂交水稻的生长势(苗高、苗重、根长、根重),普遍比亲本和“双桂36”好;光合强度和根的呼吸强度,除L301A×R29以外,其余均较高。还讨论了杂交水稻分蘖力,分蘖数量与谷粒产量的关系,以及~(32)P、~(14)C在分蘖分布(％)作为预测杂种优势的可能性。     

International orientierte höhere Schulen in Deutschland – Zwei Varianten von Internationalität im Wechselspiel von Institution und Schülerbiografie

During the last decades, the education system has been marked by distinct processes of internationalisation. In the field of higher education, there are numerous and varied schools with different international profiles. This paper focuses on processes of internationalisation in the German sector of higher education. We contrast two higher secondary schools with international profiles: one international school in a West German metropolitan region with a long tradition and a younger internationally-profiled school located in the periphery of an East German urban centre. This institutional analysis presents school cultural similarities and differences with regard to different claims and concepts of internationality. This analysis is complemented by a reconstruction of three patterns of biographical meaning examining the internationality of pupils and their respective habitual fit to these internationally-profiled schools. We draw on qualitative data, consisting mainly of interviews with head teachers and pupils of these two schools. We argue that these differing regional forms of internationalisation indicate a stratification and hierarchisation in the field of higher education in Germany.     

Modeling of D-STATCOM in distribution systems load flow

This paper presents modeling of Distribution STATCOM (D-STATCOM) in load flow calculations for the steady- state voltage compensation. An accurate model for D-STATCOM is derived to use in load flow calculations. The rating of this device as well as the direction of required reactive power injection for voltage compensation in the desired value (1 p.u.) is de- rived and discussed analytically and mathematically by the phasor diagram method. Furthermore, an efficient method for node and line identification used in load flow calculations is presented. The validity of the proposed model is examined by using two standard distribution systems consisting of 33 and 69 nodes, respectively. The best location of D-STATCOM for under voltage problem mitigation approach in the distribution networks is determined. The results validate the proposed model for D- STATCOM in large distribution systems.     

热闹之后的冷观察——纽曼大学思想核心概念之意义重置

20世纪90年代中期兴起的纽曼研究注重其大学思想对现实的批评价值,这在客观上削弱了对纽曼意义的深入理解。在纽曼研究的热度消退后,采用文本分析的方法,根据纽曼《大学的理想》一书对其思想进行结构性分析,梳理出贯穿其中的真理、道德、理性、普遍知识、自由知识、自由教育等六个核心概念,并据此对纽曼大学思想的意义进行重置。除了已得到普遍认识的自由教育的意义之外,纽曼思想还应该包括更为根本性的理性与道德关系、个人自我与外部世界关系这两层被忽视的意义。后两者对现时大学及其困境作哲学层面上的思考,勾连个人、社会、知识与大学的联系具有重要的基础性价值。