Achievement/affiliation conflicts in gifted adolescents

Achievement/affiliation conflicts arise for gifted students when they associate certain achievement attitudes or behaviors with betrayal of their social, gender, ethnic, or racial culture. Studies suggest that a good number of gifted students begin to struggle with these conflicts during early adolescence and that these conflicts are a contributing factor to academic underachievement, risk avoidance, and a long‐term reduction in aspirations and overall achievement. The essence of keeping motivation and achievement high among gifted young adults is not so much avoiding these conflicts, but developing the attitudes and skills needed to manage them as they arise. Interventions and supports should be aimed at anticipating and normalizing such conflicts as well as at direct instruction of specific coping strategies.     

Ageing,loss, and learning: Hong Kong and Australian seniors

In this article, the discussion of loss and its relationship to learning is based on the analysis of interview data from 39 older adults in Hong Kong and 40 in Australia. The focus of the research was on ageing and learning. The phenomenon of life changes, specifically losses, and their relationship to learning was frequently mentioned, and this theme is described here. Three different kinds of loss were identified in the data as motivators for organized or nonorganized learning or for negatively affecting learning. These included loss of aspects of health, of job, or of partner. The results are potentially useful to policy makers and learning providers in encouraging older adults to engage in learning as one way of coping with loss.     

复杂系统视角下的组织学习动态过程研究

组织是一个具有无尺度网络结构的复杂系统。组织学习作为组织获取核心竞争力和可持续发展能力的重要手段,是一个动态的过程:从组织学习发生的载体来看,主要有个人、团队和组织等三个层次;就组织学习发生的方式来看,包括单环学习、双环学习和三环学习等三种模式;而从组织学习过程本身来看,则分为直觉感知、解释说明、归纳整合和制度化等四个子过程。本文在系统回顾相关研究成果的基础上,从复杂系统的角度对组织学习过程进行了系统的模型整合和创新,对复杂系统环境下如何构建学习型组织的可能遇到的障碍进行了一系列的分析。     

Novel dissection of the central nervous system to bridge gross anatomy and neuroscience for an integrated medical curriculum

Medical schools in the United States continue to undergo curricular change, reorganization, and reformation as more schools transition to an integrated curriculum. Anatomy educators must find novel approaches to teach in a way that will bridge multiple disciplines. The cadaveric extraction of the central nervous system (CNS) provides an opportunity to bridge gross anatomy, neuroanatomy, and clinical neurology. In this dissection, the brain, brainstem, spinal cord, cauda equina, optic nerve/tract, and eyes are removed in one piece so that the entire CNS and its gateway to the periphery through the spinal roots can be appreciated. However, this dissection is rarely, if ever, performed likely due to time constraints, perceived difficulty, and lack of instructions. The goals of this project were (i) to provide a comprehensive, step‐by‐step guide for an en bloc CNS extraction and (ii) to determine effective strategies to implement this dissection/prosection within modern curricula. Optimal dissection methods were determined after comparison of various approaches/tools, which reduced dissection time from approximately 10 to 4 hours. The CNS prosections were piloted in small group sessions with two types of learners in two different settings: graduate students studied wet CNS prosections within the dissection laboratory and medical students used plastinated CNS prosections to review clinical neuroanatomy and solve lesion localization cases during their neurology clerkship. In both cases, the CNS was highly rated as a teaching tool and 98% recommended it for future students. Notably, 90% of medical students surveyed suggested that the CNS prosection be introduced prior to clinical rotations. Anat Sci Educ 11: 185–195. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

The mediating role of teacher self-efficacy in the relation between teacher–child race mismatch and conflict

The far-reaching impacts of the teacher–child relationship, including academic achievement and social/behavioral adjustment, have been well-documented. At the same time, literature also suggests that teacher perceptions of teacher–child relationships are impacted by the race/ethnicity match or mismatch between teacher and child, with matching related to more positive teacher perceptions. However, limited work has focused on children who are at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) or tested the mechanisms that mediate the relation between a mismatch in the race and teacher-perceived conflict. Thus, the current study used multilevel structural equation modeling to test whether a higher proportion of race mismatch between children in the classroom with problem behavior and teachers was related to teachers' classroom management self-efficacy and, in turn, teacher-perceived conflict with children among 148 teachers and 354 preschool-aged children. Results indicated that among students most at-risk for EBDs, a higher proportion of race mismatch between teachers and children significantly predicted less teacher classroom management self-efficacy and, in turn, significantly predicted teachers' greater perceived conflict with children. Furthermore, this mediation pathway was significant. Findings highlight the importance of teacher training and support that focused on increasing self-efficacy to improve relationships between teachers and children.     

The Heuristic for Thinking About Culturally Responsive Teaching (HiTCRiT)

Michèle was hurrying to class. How, she thought, could she offer the students in her African American English in Society and Schools class a method of understanding, comparing, and abstracting the studies they had been reading in class? The heuristic described in this study evolved from a desire to capture aspects of several seminal studies that illustrated how African American English was deployed in classrooms for productive work with African American students. Michèle recalled that whenever she asked graduate students or practicing teachers what they, other teachers, and schools might do to improve the schooling of students of color, one of the most consistent responses was Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP). However, when pressed and asked what one would detect in classrooms where CRP is being put into practice, few were able to specify what an observer might see. Specifying the dimensions of CRP and its relationship to the heuristic had not been on Michèle’s mind. Even so, it was during the class discussion that the heuristic’s relevance to CRP became clearer. Jonathan, who had been tapped as a teaching assistant in an English language arts methods class, believed HiTCRiT could be modified to use with teacher education candidates, as a substitute for the standardized lesson planning tool used in the department. He piloted its use with the class the following semester. Utilizing HiTCRiT to explain research and existing practices as well as to assist teachers in creating culturally relevant instruction modified and shaped it, creating a more robust tool. Thus, the HiTCRiT came into being and came to inform our thinking and teaching practice.     

The information needs of doctors‐in‐training: case study from the Cairns Library,University of Oxford

The objective of this study was to find out more about the information needs of doctors‐in‐training and to identify their preferred sources of information. The methodology included interviews with consultants and administrators, a focus group discussion with library staff and a postal questionnaire sent to 347 doctors‐in‐training (there was a 43% return). The shortcomings of a questionnaire primarily composed of closed questions were addressed by the inclusion of one‐to‐one interviews which offered the opportunity for more in‐depth commentary on specific issues highlighted in the questionnaire. Results indicated the frequency with which various types of information sources were consulted and how this related to the ‘ease of access’ of each information source. There was also the opportunity to comment on future information needs. It was clear from the interviews as well as comments made on the questionnaire that the two most important requirements for doctors‐in‐training were ‘more time to find and obtain information’ and ‘better access to information sources when and where they are needed’. The results, although not surprising, included specific suggestions that have been used for the strategic planning of the library service to deliver the best possible support to users within the current framework of evidence‐based medicine.     

Inside and outside the integrated bilingual Palestinian-Jewish schools in Israel: Teachers’ perceptions of personal, professional and political positioning

The purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers of the integrated bilingual Palestinian-Jewish schools in Israel construct their school culture in relation to various outside pressures in their attempt to achieve educational change. Field notes from an in-service training workshop were analyzed according to three levels of the teaching context: the personal, professional and political. It was found that the teachers perceive themselves as primarily pedagogical experts with a shared vision based on multiculturalism and coexistence. According to the findings, recommendations are made for improving the positioning of the teachers in relation to pupils, parents and policy-makers.     

Destination,Imagination and the Fires Within: Design Thinking in a Middle School Classroom

The purpose of the Taking Design Thinking to Schools Research Project was to extend the knowledge base that contributes to an improved understanding of the role of design thinking in K‐12 classrooms. The ethnographic qualitative study focused on the implementation of an interdisciplinary design curriculum by a team of university instructors in a public charter school. Three questions framed the study. How did students express their understanding of design thinking classroom activities? How did affective elements impact design thinking in the classroom environment? How is design thinking connected to academic standards and content learning in the classroom?