Jewish Identity In A Changing World An Historical Survey

What are the basic variables that one ought to consider when attempting to describe possible trends in supplementary Jewish education in the United States during the next decade? They should include the following: Birth rate in Jewish families which are but marginally associated with various Jewish causes; the interest of these families in Jewish life and religion; identification with Israel and Israel-related causes; general climate for Jewish education in the communities in which these families reside; rate of growth in tuition requirements for day school enrollment; and comparative educational achievement in day schools and supplementary schools.     

Gathering the views of children and young people with ASD: a systematic literature review

According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, children have a right to have their views listened to, and studies have shown that doing so can improve their motivation and self‐esteem. Accordingly, this systematic literature review sought to investigate how the views of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who have difficulties with social communication, may be gathered. Searches of electronic databases yielded 20 studies which met the criteria for inclusion. Semi‐structured interviews (SSIs) were popular, but there is tentative evidence that these are better suited to older, or more academically able, participants. Some of the evidence suggests adaptations to make SSIs more accessible to young people with ASD. Initial evidence has also emerged regarding the suitability of focus groups and electronic diaries. More focused evaluation by researchers of the suitability of their chosen data‐gathering methods for participants with ASD would allow broader conclusions to be drawn.     

Towards an expanded cognitive developmental science understanding of human teaching / Hacia un conocimiento ampliado de la enseñanza humana basada en la ciencia del desarrollo cognitivo

Teaching is one of nature’s remarkable inventions. Despite over two millennia of academic discussion about teaching, it remains in need of a broad scientific footing. The cognitive and developmental sciences, writ large, are candidates for such a footing. The purpose of this article is to go beyond teaching as knowledge transmission and present an expanded cognitive developmental account of teaching’s remarkable complexity. A minimalist and maximalist approach for describing teaching are presented, with a preference offered for the latter. It can serve as a map for backward engineering so as to get to the origins and developmental trajectories of the map of teaching’s components. An expanded mind-to-mind coupling version of the complexity of normative adult teaching is presented which includes stage-setting with emotion-, motivation- and mind-reading, organizing teaching sessions, scaffolding, detecting knowledge gaps and intervening by knowledge transmission strategies intended to reduce the gaps. In a backward engineering move, research is presented on infants’ abilities for some of what is presented for adults. Teaching is also prosocial, with heart-to-heart coupling. It is inextricably intertwined with teaching, and is another part of teaching’s complexity. Teaching’s prosociality is analysed via the economic concept of non-rivalry. It is shown that teaching is a form of helping behaviour but is not altruistic. Directions for further work in this maximalist approach to the scientific study of teaching are presented.     

Cleaning Dirty Data in Excel

This article gives a flavour of the CHIME materials on data handling in Microsoft Excel. It demonstrates the facilities for data validation within Excel.     

Developing medical students as teachers: An anatomy‐based student‐as‐teacher program with emphasis on core teaching competencies

Teaching is an increasingly recognized responsibility of the resident physician. Residents, however, often assume teaching responsibilities without adequate preparation. Consequently, many medical schools have implemented student‐as‐teacher (SAT) programs that provide near‐peer teaching opportunities to senior medical students. Near‐peer teaching is widely regarded as an effective teaching modality; however, whether near‐peer teaching experiences in medical school prepare students for the teaching demands of residency is less understood. We explored whether the anatomy‐based SAT program through the Human Structure didactic block at Mayo Medical School addressed the core teaching competencies of a medical educator and prepared its participants for further teaching roles in their medical careers. A web‐based survey was sent to all teaching assistants in the anatomy‐based SAT program over the past five years (2007–2011). Survey questions were constructed based on previously published competencies in seven teaching domains – course development, course organization, teaching execution, student coaching, student assessment, teacher evaluation, and scholarship. Results of the survey indicate that participants in the anatomy‐based SAT program achieved core competencies of a medical educator and felt prepared for the teaching demands of residency. Anat Sci Educ 6: 385–392. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.     

Books of the Month

Robert Sobel's The Manipulators: America in the Media Age (New York: Doubleday, 1976---$9.95)

Sidney Kraus and Dennis Davis's The Effects of Mass Communication on Political Behavior (University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1976---$16.50/7.95)     

The New British copyright act

REALITY IN ADVERTISING. By Rosser Reeves. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961. x + 154 pp. $3.95.

TEACH WITH TELEVISION: A GUIDE TO INSTRUCTIONAL TV. By Lawrence F. Costello and George N. Gordon. New York: Hastings House (Communication Arts Books), 1961. 175 pp. + bibliog. and glossary. $5.50.

THE GREAT TIME KILLER. By Harold Mehling. Cleveland: World Publishing Co., 1962. 352 pp. $4.95.

WORLD RADIO TV HANDBOOK. Edited by O. Lund Johansen. 16th ed. Copenhagen: O. Lund‐Johansen, 1962. 218 pp. $3.00 (paper; postpaid).