Embracing and Harnessing the Intimate Connection Between Emotion and Cognition to Help Students Learn

Traditionally, cognition and emotion were believed to be independent systems; however, research in the cognitive and neurobiological sciences has shown that the relationship between cognition and emotion is both interdependent and extensive. This intimate connection between emotion and cognition is leading to a number of insights that have the potential to inform and transform educational practices at all levels—from the classroom to the curriculum to educational policy. The question that has been on my mind (and on my heart) is, as a teacher, how can I both embrace and harness the power of emotion to help my students’ learning be more meaningful, useful, and intrinsically motivated? In this article, I would like to share with you some of the effective practices that I have implemented in my classroom and how I have worked to intentionally embed the emotional aspect of learning into the framework of the courses I teach.     

Effective practices for creating transformative informal science education programs grounded in Native ways of knowing

There are a growing number of informal science education (ISE) programs in Native communities that engage youth in science education and that are grounded in Native ways of knowing. There is also a growing body of research focusing on the relationship between culture, traditional knowledge, and science education. However, there is little research documenting how these programs are being developed and the ways in which culture and Western science are incorporated into the activities. This study outlines effective practices for using Native ways of knowing to strengthen ISE programs. These effective practices may also be used to promote change in formal education. The authors combine an overview of current research in informal science education with personal interviews with educators engaged in ISE programs offered to youth both on and off tribal reservations as well as experts in Indigenous education. Participating individuals and programs included Native communities across the United States, including Alaska and Hawai??i. Keeping in mind that each community is unique, ISE programs that are grounded in Native ways of knowing will benefit by utilizing the effective practices outlined here as a guide for starting or strengthening existing ISE programs relevant to the needs of their communities.     

Using Food Science Demonstrations to Engage Students of All Ages in Science,Technology, Engineering,and Mathematics (STEM)

Abstract: The overarching goal of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Initiative is to foster effective STEM teaching and learning throughout the educational system at the local, state, and national levels, thereby producing science literate citizens and a capable STEM workforce. To contribute to achieving this goal, we have assembled six food science demonstrations for use at all educational levels and have presented these lessons to students at the elementary through higher education levels. The focus of this article is to share these food science demonstrations and our experiences using them so that others can use them for engaging students in STEM disciplines, through food science, at any educational level. Featured demonstrations include: (1) liquid nitrogen ice cream: a matter of changing phases, (2) seeing our senses work together, (3) whipping up the cream, (4) milk versus dark: what is the difference?, (5) counting calories by burning them, and (6) culinary spherification: the wonders of cross‐linking. Overall, our experience with using these demonstrations has been very positive. Students appear engaged in the learning process and love to consume the demonstration end products. Downloadable handouts containing demonstration details for each demonstration are available as supporting information.     

E‐mail communication in workplace romantic relationships

This study examined workplace romantic relationship partners’ e‐mail practices and perceptions. Results suggest that the relationship may play an integral role in determining participants' uses and perceptions of e‐mail Workplace romantic couples used e‐mail as frequently as face‐to‐face communication to interact with romantic partners and rated it as both rich and important Participants used e‐mail for both work‐related and social tasks. In addition, participants used business e‐mail addresses for communicating with relational partners and perceived that few organizational policies existed regarding its use. Theoretically, these findings suggest the importance of studying the relationship as a factor that affects e‐mail practices and perceptions. Practically, results indicated that e‐mail may present an additional channel for enhancing communication and connectedness in workplace romantic relationships, and that organizations may need to reflect more carefully about policies concerning e‐mail use in the workplace.     

Free-Living Comparison of Physical Activity and Sleep Data from Fitbit Activity Trackers Worn on the Dominant and Nondominant Wrists

Despite proprietary algorithms to account for differences, output from activity trackers worn on different wrists may not be comparable because individuals vary in their reliance on each hand during free-living activities.

Participants (n = 48) wore Fitbit Flex or Flex2 monitors on each wrist for three days. T tests, equivalence tests, and correlations were used to compare steps, Calories, distance, active minutes, and sleep duration recorded by dominant and nondominant wrist-worn monitors and effect sizes and mean absolute and percent difference were calculated.

The nondominant Flex2 monitor was not equivalent to the dominant wrist-worn monitor and recorded significantly more steps/day (absolute difference = 708), miles/day (0.3), and active minutes/day (7.9) than the dominant Flex2 monitor. For all variables, nondominant and dominant output was correlated (r>0.75).

Nondominant and dominant Flex2 monitors are significantly different, but there were small differences for Flex monitors. Research should investigate effects on behavior and replicate findings using other monitors.     

希望之歌

大连工业大学职业技术学院刘克编译在我因昏迷而丧失知觉之时,从收音机里传出来的一首希望之歌帮我走出了地狱之门.……     

Implementing Experiential Learning Activities in a Large Enrollment Introductory Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

ABSTRACT:  Experiential learning activities are often viewed as impractical, and potentially unfeasible, instructional tools to employ in a large enrollment course. Research has shown, though, that the metacognitive skills that students utilize while participating in experiential learning activities enable them to assess their true level of understanding and mastery of the subject matter. The objectives of this study were to (1) create and implement 2 experiential learning activities in our introductory, large enrollment course and (2) evaluate their cognitive and affective impact on student learning. For the 1st activity, completed in class during the nutrition and health section, the instructional team asked the students to complete a dietary intake assessment. For the 2nd activity, completed via the course website, the instructional team asked the students to complete a food safety survey prior to the commencement of the food microbiology and processing section to assess the students' own personal food safety behaviors. The students were asked to evaluate both the cognitive and affective aspects of the experiential learning activities by completing a reflective questionnaire after participating in each activity. The majority of the students that participated in the experiential learning activities reported that the activities helped them learn the course material (97% for the dietary intake activity and 77% for the food safety activity) and that they liked participating in the activity (85% for the dietary intake activity) or were engaged by the activity (77% for the food safety activity). These results indicate that experiential learning activities can be successfully created for and implemented in large enrollment courses.     

Understanding bullying and victimization during childhood and adolescence: a mixed methods study

In the present study, quantitative and qualitative data are presented to examine individual and contextual predictors of bullying and victimization and how they vary by age and gender. Two waves of survey data were collected from 2,678 elementary, middle, and high school youth attending 59 schools. In addition, 14 focus groups were conducted with 115 youth who did not participate in the survey. Changes in both bullying and victimization were predicted across gender and age by low self-esteem and negative school climate, with normative beliefs supporting bullying predicting increases in bullying only. Focus group comments provided insights into the dynamics of bullying, highlighting its connection to emergent sexuality and social identity during adolescence. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for preventive antibullying interventions in schools.