Encountering Productive Forms of Complexity in Learning Modern Physics

This paper aims at supporting the claim that some forms of hyper-simplification, by making physics seem easy, are at risk of dangerously distorting the content as well as the process of learning physics. The paper presents examples of dangerous simplifications in the teaching of quantum physics. Then, examples of productive forms of complexity are discussed, both as criteria for designing teaching proposals, and for realizing appropriate learning environments, namely properly complex territories. Empirical results, from a teaching/learning experiment on quantum physics at upper secondary school (grade 13), are reported. These results show examples of students’ reactions to travelling through a complex territory, and allow us to argue that unavoidable difficulty in learning quantum physics can be transformed into cultural challenges within reach of secondary school students.     

Romance and Innovation in Twenty-First Century Publishing

The twenty-first century has been decidedly unkind to most sectors of the book publishing industry, yet romantic fiction is somehow more popular and profitable than ever before. What could account for this critically marginalised category’s consummate commercial success in the digital era? This paper makes the argument that contrary to the stereotype of romantic fiction as conventional and change resistant, contemporary romance publishers have proven themselves to be consistently forward thinking and progressive, utilising industry innovations in content, technology, branding and business practice to cement their genre’s status as an exemplary model for twenty-first century book publishing.     

Analyzing the Roles,Activities, and Skills of Learning Technologists: A Case Study From City University London

This article reports on a case study carried out at City University London into the role of learning technologists. The article examines how the role developed by providing points of comparison with a report on the career development of learning technology staff in UK universities in 2001. This case study identified that learning technologists undertook diverse roles and acquired the skills to work in different communities (professional, academic, and research). It also found that although the core role and activities of learning technologists were similar to findings in 2001, the changing context in which they operated added complexity to the role and impacted the skills and experience required.     

Network analysis of kick-in possession chains in elite Australian football

ABSTRACT

The study aim was to investigate ball movement patterns using network analysis techniques, to compare between successful and unsuccessful outcomes and teams in the Australian Football League (AFL). This analysis focused on possession chains starting from a kick-in (n = 1,720), drawn from all games played in the 2015 AFL Premiership season (18 teams, 206 games). Player interactions were quantified using four network metrics: cluster coefficient, degree centrality, network density, and entropy. Three-way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc and ω² effect sizes were calculated to assess whether differences existed between kick-in outcomes, ladder brackets, and match outcomes for each network metric. No significant differences were observed between ladder brackets or match outcomes for any network metric. More successful kick-in chains were characterised by lower density (ω² = 0.26, large effect; F(9, 1678) = 66.6, p < 0.00) and higher entropy (ω² = 0.17, large effect; F(9, 1678) = 39.6, p < 0.00). This suggests that chains resulting in successful kick-in outcomes exhibited lower interconnectedness, with a high number of players involved, and lower predictability in ball movement patterns. These findings have practical value for coaches and performance analysts and support further applications of network analysis in Australian football.     

Reconstructing the Basic Concepts of General Relativity from an Educational and Cultural Point of View

Research in the history and philosophy of physics hasshown that the formalism of General Relativity can be interpreted in several different ways and,consequently, its teaching is very problematic. The present contribution is an example of a reconstruction of thedebate concerning the foundations of General Relativity on the basis of cultural and educational criteria.In particular, the debate will be presented as guided by the concept of space, and by the different perspectives from whichsuch a concept can be viewed. It will be pointed out that the various ways of looking at space give powerfulcriteria not only to create an order among the interpretations, but also to exploit the educational and culturalvalue of the debate.     

Teaching data use and school leadership

This case study uses evidence collected for accreditation and programme improvement at a small university Master's and certification programme in Educational Leadership Development to describe efforts to help leadership candidates use data during the programme's final internship experience. Programme features supporting the growth of candidates' instructional leadership skills are discussed as are the challenges faculty encountered supporting leadership candidates' efforts to use data to lead change projects. Suggestions for evaluating programmes' ability to teach evidence-based leadership practice are offered at the paper's conclusion.     

Breaking into the business: experiences of actors with disabilities in the entertainment industry

The pursuit of an acting career is a difficult one for anybody. However, studies have yet to factor how disability affects casting opportunities. This study describes the employment of actors with disabilities, along with the unique barriers they encounter in the audition and casting process. Actors with disabilities from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) were recruited to participate in focus groups and complete a questionnaire. The results indicate having a disability amplifies difficulties in gaining employment, particularly for females. Participants aged 40 years and over were more likely to work in a lead or supporting role compared to those under 40. Participants identified several barriers to employment in the entertainment industry including industry attitudes about working with actors with disabilities; being restricted to disability specific roles; and fears about requesting an accommodation.     

The RowPerfect ergometer: a training aid for on-water single scull rowing

The purpose of this study was to compare rowing technique on the dynamic RowPerfect ergometer with a single scull. Eight national-level rowers performed on both the RowPerfect ergometer and in a single scull over 500 m, at rates of 24, 26, and 28 strokes/minute. Blade force and oar angle (on-water) and handle force and stroke length (on the ergometer) were measured. Both force and stroke angle/length were normalised from 0 to 100 (where 100 was the peak value). Body positions of the subjects at both the catch and finish of each of these rowing strokes were also compared for each stroke rate. The coefficient of multiple determination (CMD) was used to measure the consistency of force curves over a sample of five sequential strokes for each rower. Cross-correlations were performed between the left- and right-side on-water sculling force curves and a mean of these values with the ergometer curve for each rower. Stroke angle/length, which did not vary with rate, was similar for both forms of rowing. The CMDs showed a high consistency across the normalised strokes of each subject (approximately 0.98). Cross-correlation values of 0.91, 0.92, and 0.93 were recorded between the force curves from the ergometer and on-water trials for stroke rates of 24, 26, and 28 strokes/minute, respectively. The mean trunk, thigh and lower leg angles at the catch and finish of the stroke were also similar across the stroke rates as determined by t-tests. Results indicate that technique used on the RowPerfect ergometer was similar to that for on-water sculling, thus validating its use in off-water training.