Teaching energy in high school by making use of history and philosophy of science

How to improve students' understanding of energy transformation and conservation remains one of the main challenges of energy teaching. To address this challenge, we developed a new teaching strategy suited to high school based on history and philosophy of science (HPS). It involves five key ingredients: study and reproduction of Joule's paddle-wheel experiment, introduction of Rankine's definition, study of a historical text of Joule, use of an “ID card of energy,” and early introduction and multiple application of the principle of energy conservation. This strategy was built and implemented in the frame of a collaborative and iterative work involving researchers and teachers. We examined the effects of this HPS-based teaching strategy on students' understanding of energy. We used a quantitative method based on pre- and post-tests (N = 95/87) completed by a qualitative analysis using both video recordings of classroom activities and videos produced by students during one of the teaching sequences. The outcomes show that the teaching strategy had an overall positive impact on students' learning of energy: in particular, Joule's paddle-wheel experiment seems to favor their understanding of the notion of energy transformation, while the early introduction and multiple application of the conservation principle appears as a relevant option to facilitate its mastering. This study illustrates how HPS might actually be introduced in classrooms and brings to light its usefulness for building new science teaching strategies.     

Physical activity among Spanish adolescents: relationship with their relatives' physical activity - the AVENA study

Identifying factors related to physical activity levels in young people is important for a more efficient health promotion. The aims of this study were to assess physical activity levels in a national sample of urban Spanish adolescents, and to examine the association between significant others' physical activity (father, mother, brother, sister, and close friends) and that of the adolescents. The present study comprised 2260 adolescents (1157 boys, 1103 girls) aged 13.0-18.5 years participating in the AVENA Study. Both the adolescents' physical activity and that of their relatives and close friends was assessed by questionnaire. The odds of being active were higher in boys than girls (odds ratio?=?2.79, 95% confidence interval?=?2.34-3.33) and tended to decrease across age groups in both boys and girls. Father's and older brother's physical activity was associated with boys' physical activity, while that of any significant other was associated with girls' physical activity. When both parents reported being active, boys had nearly two times higher odds of being active and girls had nearly three times higher odds of being active. The physical activity levels of Spanish adolescents are in line with those previously reported. Physical activity levels in girls are strongly related to the physical activity of any significant other, whereas physical activity levels in boys are only related to their male relatives' physical activity.     

L'enseignant-ressource en Milieu Urbain Défavorisé: une Intervention éducative Efficace

Studies on the efficacity of educational interventions among disadvantaged groups are contradictory. This article is part of the continuing debate on this topic. It reports the results of an empirical study of 1,567 pupils from the first and sixth grades, attending 20 primary schools in disadvantaged areas of Montréal, Canada. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of using "teachers as resource persons". The results indicate that intervention by "teachers as resource persons" has a positive effect on pupils' achievements. Furthermore, financial input is also positively linked with pupils' performance. The article interprets the main results of the study and comes to a positive conclusion about the usefulness of "teachers as resource persons" in disadvantaged urban areas.     

Technologies of disciplinary power in action: The norm of the ‘Good student’

We have completed a piece of research into the process of production of speech on the part of students as regards their idea of ‘the good student’, taking social postmodern theories as a conceptual reference and within the university context. The study tries to show how disciplinary technologies are a major influence in the make-up of particular types of students. It is an exploration of the discourses used by students reflecting their vision of university, teaching and learning. The aim is to understand their reasoning by means of the view they have of academic activity and life. Starting from Michael Foucault’s thoughts on power relations in the context of educational practices we present a plan of discourse analysis based on accounts made by the students themselves.