The Science of a Sundae: Using the Principle of Colligative Properties in Food Science Outreach Activities for Middle and High School Students

The opportunities for outreach activities for professionals and academics in food science are extensive, as too are the range of participants’ experience levels and platforms for delivery. Here, we present a set of activities that are readily adaptable for a range of students (ages 10 to 18) in multiple platforms (demonstration table and hands‐on workshop). Our activity, collectively called “The Science of a Sundae,” has three units, one for each of the three parts of a sundae: the caramel sauce, the cherry, and the ice cream. In each unit we use these familiar food items to illustrate how colligative properties (or, simply, “solutions” for younger students) impact the chemical, microbiological, and sensorial properties of food. We have used these activities to present to over 1000 students and their parents/chaperones. Grade levels of student participants have ranged from 5th grade through high school, and these activities have been presented in the form of a demonstration table at science events as well as a set of three 45‐minute workshops in a classroom setting. Educational impact of these activities was evaluated with 7th grade students (n = 77) who participated in the 3‐phase workshop. On average, students who took the posttest (after participation in the workshop) scored 36% higher than students who took the pretest (prior to participation in the workshop). These results and instructor observations suggest the merit of this lesson and its adaptability among ages and platforms.     

Multidimensional perfectionism in a sample of middle school students: An exploratory investigation

In this exploratory study, 185 middle school students were administered the Almost Perfect Scale‐Revised and the Behavioral Assessment System for Children‐Self Report. Self‐reported grade‐point average was also obtained. Students who established high personal standards but nonetheless recognize their limitations (adaptive perfectionists) reported significantly higher (i.e., more positive) scores on a number of academic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal variables. However, the perceived inability for some students to consistently meet their high standards (maladaptive perfectionists) was significantly and negatively related to perceptions of school and family relationships, and greater emotional distress. Implications of these findings and future research and clinical suggestions are provided. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 677–689, 2003.     

Internal and external factors shaping educational beliefs of high school teachers of “sacred” subjects to girls

This research investigated pedagogical beliefs of teachers of “sacred” school subjects, curricular topics that the school community deems culturally valued, unassailable and inviolate. Two hundred and fifty-five teachers of girls only who taught sacred or secular subjects in Jewish modern religious high schools responded to questionnaires focusing on the discipline, on students and their learning and on the teacher role and 15 were interviewed. Results reflected systematic differences between teachers of sacred and secular subjects caused by multiple factors, some internal and some external to the underlying discipline. Variation among different sacred subjects was contingent mainly on external factors.     

Special education classification and program success: Is there a relationship?

This study analyzed the relationship between students' pre- and postprogram special education classification status and success in a level-system program. Records of students identified as Severe Behavior Handicapped (the Ohio equivalent of Seriously Emotionally Disturbed) enrolled in a special school over an 11-year entrance period were reviewed. Findings indicate no significant relationship between student outcomes and pre- or postclassification status. However, a relationship approaching significance was found between pre- and postprogram labeling. These results suggest that, at most, program outcomes had minimal influence on postprogram special education classification decisions. In addition, the seemingly unsystematic distribution of postprogram classification labels suggests that exit placements were largely a function of availability. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

The cranial nerve skywalk: A 3D tutorial of cranial nerves in a virtual platform

Visualization of the complex courses of the cranial nerves by students in the health‐related professions is challenging through either diagrams in books or plastic models in the gross laboratory. Furthermore, dissection of the cranial nerves in the gross laboratory is an extremely meticulous task. Teaching and learning the cranial nerve pathways is difficult using two‐dimensional (2D) illustrations alone. Three‐dimensional (3D) models aid the teacher in describing intricate and complex anatomical structures and help students visualize them. The study of the cranial nerves can be supplemented with 3D, which permits the students to fully visualize their distribution within the craniofacial complex. This article describes the construction and usage of a virtual anatomy platform in Second Life?, which contains 3D models of the cranial nerves III, V, VII, and IX. The Cranial Nerve Skywalk features select cranial nerves and the associated autonomic pathways in an immersive online environment. This teaching supplement was introduced to groups of pre‐healthcare professional students in gross anatomy courses at both institutions and student feedback is included. Anat Sci Educ 7: 469–478. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.     

Longitudinal literacy professional development in an urban elementary charter school

The authors describe a school-university professional development partnership in a high-needs urban elementary charter school. University and school partners collaborated to build instructional capacity to develop teachers’ understanding and implementation of effective literacy instruction. Design-based research revealed increased understanding and implementation of effective literacy practices among school leaders and teachers. Findings revealed the importance of administrative stability; coaching support; and a focused, school-wide instructional vision.     

Dismay and Disappointment: Parental Involvement of Latino Immigrant Parents

Parental involvement in schools has become more popular over the past decade due to Goals 2000 and research suggesting that student academic success increases when parents are included in the education of their children. Although researchers have examined the issue of parents and schools, limited research on parental involvement has been conducted within immigrant communities. Latino immigrant parents within a predominantly Latino community in California were interviewed. Although the community has strong Latino roots, these immigrant parents believed the schools do not listen or care to listen to their needs as parents. The parents in this study desired to be a part of their children's education, but forces within their children's school prevented them from doing so. The parents wished that teachers would be available to speak about grades, be able to find interpreters during open house and at other times throughout the school day, and communicate with the parents when their child is in need of assistance. Due to the apparent walls that had been established within the school's structure, the parents in this study felt abandoned and helpless while trying to gain information regarding their children's education. Parents in this study were so passionate about their stories that they pleaded with the researcher to let their story be heard in the researchers' teacher education courses so future teachers would know how immigrant parents felt.     

Playing on the periphery: troubling sport policy,systemic exclusion and the role of sport in rural Canada

Abstract

In policy contexts, social exclusion can be experienced through the systematic marginalization of groups by inhibiting their ability to access resources and support. In this article, we consider the context of community sport development in rural Canada to discuss the implications of rationalized policy systems for rural citizens. We discuss instances where engagement with the sport system was constrained as well as the way that rural people responded in order to continue engagement in sport both within and outside of policy frameworks. A more inclusive sport policy system requires the acknowledgement of diverse social outcomes which may be realized through sport. But, in order for this to take place, policy makers and practitioners must acknowledge that these outcomes can exist outside of athlete development and must re-consider the ways that resources and support can be allocated.