Drawing to reason and learn in science

Despite mixed results in research on student learning from drawing in science, there is growing interest in the potential for this visual mode, in tandem with other modes, to enact and enable student reasoning in this subject. Building on current research in this field, and using a micro-ethnographic approach informed by socio-semiotic perspectives, we aimed to identify how and why student drawing can contribute to student reasoning and learning. In our study, secondary school students were challenged to explore and collaboratively create explanatory representations of phenomena including through drawing. Data were generated using multiple wall- and ceiling-mounted cameras capable of continuously tracking groups of students negotiating these representational challenges. Our analysis proceeded through active and iterative viewing of the extensive video record, and the identification of themes to establish possible relationships between drawing and reasoning. Through this process, we (a) identify multiple necessary conditions and varied opportunities for student drawing to enact and enable reasoning, and (b) extend current understandings of how the particular affordances of this mode interact with these conditions to contribute to student learning in science.     

Developing higher-order reading skills in mainstream primary schools: A metacognitive and self-regulatory approach

The ability to read relies upon not just decoding, but also comprehending text. Being a good comprehender requires strategic reading and implies the use of comprehension strategies. Research indicates that readers who are taught several reading comprehension strategies have better reading skills than those only taught a single strategy. One multiple strategy reading comprehension intervention was evaluated using a mixed-model quasi-experimental design. Intervention and control conditions groups were assessed at pre- and post-test points with standardised reading comprehension abilities, measured as the primary outcome measure. Implementation science principles were observed and evaluated. The schools all served areas of low socio-economic status. 74 pupils (aged 9–10) in five classes in four primary-level mainstream schools in a Scottish local authority were recruited as participants. Training was provided to participating schools by the first author and the programme was delivered in four sessions of 45 minutes per week for 8 weeks. An ANCOVA revealed a statistically significant effect of condition. Statistically significant scores were also evident in the secondary outcome measures of decoding of target word skills, children’s self-reports of their reading strategy use and recreational reading frequency. Implementation tools indicated that the intervention was acceptable and feasible to implement. Implications of introducing this multiple strategy reading comprehension programme and of the evaluation of implementation are discussed.     

What do students gain from games? Dice games vs word problems

Learning the fundamentals of probability and random variables can be a struggle for many students. Games by their nature require active participation and reward mastery, lending naturally to the framework of active learning. In this study, we designed and evaluated the efficacy of a lab activity using a game where strategy hinges on sums of dice to teach about linear combinations of independent random variables. We found that both activities lead to improved understandings of course concepts, but the dice game provided increased student engagement and interest.     

Using an interactive platform to recognize the intersection of social and spatial inequalities

With the creation of interactive tasks that allow students to explore spatial ways of knowing in conjunction with their other ways of knowing the world, we create a space where students can make sense of information as they organize these new ideas into their already existing schema. Through the use of a Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP) and data from Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMA), students can explore the communities in which they live and work, critically examining opportunities and challenges within a defined space.     

Relationship between psychopathology,learning disabilities,or both and WISC‐III subtest scatter in adolescents

The aim of this study was to determine whether subtest scatter might be an indicator of learning disabilities (LDs), psychopathology, or of both, in a sample of normal adolescents. Subjects completed the WISC‐III and the MMPI‐A and then their scores for the WISC‐III subtests, verbal scatter (VScatter), performance scatter (PScatter), full scale scatter (FScatter) scores, perceptual organisation factor (PO), and the SCAD profiles were calculated. The MMPI‐A was scored and the clinical scales were extracted. The hypothesis that subtest scatter is associated with LDs was generally not supported. There was a relationship between subtest scatter and psychological disturbance in adolescent males, however the results for females were less clear. Further, high PScatter in adolescent males was associated with an MMPI‐A codetype 4‐2/2‐4, indicating tendencies toward depressive features, delinquent behavior, and possibly substance abuse, tendencies which are likely to lead to school failure. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

在男孩面前，我是如此笨拙

Vanessa Hudgens身上有菲律宾、中国、西班牙（母亲一方）以及爱尔兰、美洲印第安人（父亲一方）的血统,这也许可以解释她一副出众而独特的容貌,拥有让人无法将目光移开的魔力。     

Scientific Modeling for Inquiring Teachers Network (SMIT’N): The Influence on Elementary Teachers’ Views of Nature of Science, Inquiry, and Modeling

This paper summarizes the findings from a K-6 professional development program that emphasized scientific inquiry and nature of science within the theme of scientific modeling. During the 2-week summer workshop and follow up school year workshops, the instruction modeled a 5-E learning cycle approach. Pre and posttesting measured teachers’ views of nature of science, inquiry, and scientific modeling. Teachers improved their views of nature of science (NOS) and inquiry by including scientific modeling in their definitions of how scientists work, the empirical nature of science, and the role of observations and inferences in science. Their definitions of science expanded from a knowledge-based orientation to a process-based orientation. Teachers added the use of mathematical formulas to their views of scientific modeling. Using scientific modeling as the central theme was effective in providing positive influence on teachers’ views of inquiry and NOS.