The interface between mathematics and design and technology in secondary schools

ABSTRACT

This article suggests that there are important connections between design and technology and mathematics curricula and that these are not fully made in the United Kingdom National Curriculum. Using three examples, the authors show how there are real opportunities in design and technology teaching for incorporating mathematical learning, but that all too often these are lost because they are not made explicit. Again, the authors argue that too much mathematics teaching is dominated by abstract investigation rather than practical problem‐solving. They conclude by suggesting that teaching should transcend subject boundaries and be concerned with real‐life situations.     

The global classroom: advancing cultural awareness in special schools through collaborative work using ICT

This paper reports research on cross‐national collaboration through Information and Communications Technology (ICT) within the statutory curricula of 10 special schools in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Working in north–south paired classes, the pupils carried out joint tasks using asynchronous computer conferencing and videoconferencing. The full spectrum of learning difficulty and disability was represented amongst the participating pupils. Interviews were conducted to elicit the views and experiences of the teachers in the 2002/03 cohort. The main aims were to discover whether cultural awareness developed through joint tasks using the two technologies, if computer conferencing improved literacy and ICT skills, and if videoconferencing enhanced oral communication. The results showed that cultural awareness developed as far as cognition allowed, when pupils in partner schools became aware of similarities as well as differences. Those with sufficient keyboard ability benefited from computer conferencing and ICT competence improved, but the much preferred medium for collaborative, inter‐school work was videoconferencing. All but the most dependent pupils could participate, and valuable, transferable social and communication skills were acquired.     

Learning together,living apart: the experiences of university students in Northern Ireland

Elementary (primary) and high (secondary) school education in Northern Ireland (NI) is essentially segregated along religious lines. The vast majority of young people from the Protestant/Unionist/British community attend state “Controlled” schools while Catholics/ Nationalists/Irish attend schools in the Catholic Church‐based “Maintained” sector. Going to university represents for many the first opportunity to share a significant educational experience with someone from a different politico‐religious group and cultural background. This paper presents the results of a focus‐group based study designed to illuminate students' experiences of intergroup relations at a NI university. Through focus‐group discussions information was generated on cross‐community contact, the influence of group difference, prevalence, and identity, on attitudes and intergroup communication. The university environment as a factor in potential relational development, the role which student bodies and academic staff may play, and policies and practices on accepting diversity are discussed. Recommendations and considerations are highlighted for other pedagogical institutes where complex and difficult intergroup dynamics exist.     

Between ‘Bastard’ and ‘Wicked’ leadership? School leadership and the emerging policies of the UK Coalition Government

Barker argues that in England under New Labour, school leaders and teachers have been ‘bastardised’ and suggests that the situation in 2010, with a general election afforded an opportunity in education policy for the ‘pendulum to swing’. In this article, the key points about ‘bastard Leadership’ are briefly summarised. The article then develops a view of schools as sites of complexity and ‘wickedity’ as an alternative to the linear reductionist approaches of managerialists. These two perspectives present the extremes of a spectrum against which the trajectory of school leadership can be viewed as it emerges from the New Labour years and is now being developed by the Coalition Government. Evidence from ministerial speeches and the Coalition Government's flagship White Paper, The Importance of Teaching, are used to examine key issues of freedom and trust, reducing bureaucracy and increasing autonomy for schools as ways of exploring the extent to which the new government's policies on school leadership are, or are not, moving away from those of their New Labour predecessors.     

Evolution and revolution: gauging the impact of technological and technical innovation on Olympic performance

A number of studies have pointed to a plateauing of athletic performance, with the suggestion that further improvements will need to be driven by revolutions in technology or technique. In the present study, we examine post-war men's Olympic performance in jumping events (pole vault, long jump, high jump, triple jump) to determine whether performance has indeed plateaued and to present techniques, derived from models of human growth, for assessing the impact of technological and technical innovation over time (logistic and double logistic models of growth). Significantly, two of the events involve well-documented changes in technology (pole material in pole vault) or technique (the Fosbury Flop in high jump), while the other two do not. We find that in all four cases, performance appears to have plateaued and that no further "general" improvement should be expected. In the case of high jump, the double logistic model provides a convenient method for modelling and quantifying a performance intervention (in this case the Fosbury Flop). However, some shortcomings are revealed for pole vault, where evolutionary post-war improvements and innovation (fibre glass poles) were concurrent, preventing their separate identification in the model. In all four events, it is argued that further general growth in performance will indeed need to rely predominantly on technological or technical innovation.     

Communication, Relationships, and Religious Difference in the Northern Ireland Workplace: A Study of Private and Public Sector Organizations

Four large organizations, two each from the private and public sectors of the Northern Ireland economy, were selected for this study which, first, explored the effects of religion-based workforce difference on intergroup relationships, second, investigated the contribution of organizational sector to communicative differences, and third, gauged the effects of group-based negativity on the flow and distribution of functional information within the organization. Little evidence of intergroup conflict was found although employees expressed a desire for greater quantity and quality of outgroup contact. Significant differences between the private and public bodies emerged in this respect. Contrasts were consistent with general organizational differences typifying the sectors. Findings are discussed in relation to diversity management and the characteristics of organizational sectors.     

Curating and Controlling Zuni Photographic Images

This article explores the history of photography in Zuni and provides a context for the forthcoming request from Zuni religious leaders that they be allowed to exercise some control over sensitive images held by museums. This request is part of the debate over whether Native Americans should exercise some degree of control over historic photographs of their religious ceremonies. Some Zuni community members always considered photography of religious ceremonies to be inappropriate. How it happened sheds light on how Zunis incorporated the then-new technology into their traditional beliefs and social organization. Similarly, existing museum policy toward sensitive images is a result of the way photography has been incorporated into European and American legal and ethical thinking. In addition to lending weight to the contention that forthcoming requests from Native Americans are based on long-held beliefs rather than simply contemporary political expediency, history also suggests the parameters for an equitable solution to this issue.     

The effects of 4 weeks normobaric hypoxia training on microvascular responses in the forearm flexor

Intermittent exposure to hypoxia can lead to improved endurance performance. Currently, it is unclear whether peripheral adaptions play a role in improving oxygen delivery and utilization following both training and detraining. This study aimed to characterize skeletal muscle blood flow (mBF), oxygen consumption (mV?O₂), and perfusion adaptations to i) 4-weeks handgrip training in hypoxic and normoxic conditions, and ii) following 4-weeks detraining. Using a randomised crossover design, 9 males completed 30-min handgrip training four times a week in hypoxic (14% FiO₂ ~ 3250m altitude) and normoxic conditions. mBF, mV?O₂ and perfusion were assessed pre, post 4-weeks training, and following 4-weeks detraining. Hierarchical linear modelling found that mV?O₂ increased at a significantly faster rate (58%) with hypoxic training (0.09 mlO₂·min^?1 · 100g^?1 per week); perfusion increased at a significantly (69%) faster rate with hypoxic training (3.72 μM per week). mBF did not significantly change for the normoxic condition, but there was a significant increase of 0.38 ml· min^?1 · 100ml^?1 per week (95% CI: 0.35, 0.40) for the hypoxic condition. During 4-weeks detraining, mV?O₂ and perfusion significantly declined at similar rates for both conditions, whereas mBF decreased significantly faster following hypoxic training. Four weeks hypoxic training increases the delivery and utilisation of oxygen in the periphery.