THE GENEALOGY OF JUDGEMENT: TOWARDS A DEEP HISTORY OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM

ABSTRACT:  The classical conception of academic freedom associated with Wilhelm von Humboldt and the rise of the modern university has a quite specific cultural foundation that centres on the controversial mental faculty of 'judgement'. This article traces the roots of 'judgement' back to the Protestant Reformation, through its heyday as the signature feature of German idealism, and to its gradual loss of salience as both a philosophical and a psychological concept. This trajectory has been accompanied by a general shrinking in the scope of academic freedom from the promulgation of world-views to the offering of expert opinion .     

Developing math automaticity using a classwide fluency building procedure for middle school students: A preliminary study

To investigate the influence of an innovative math fluency intervention, 36 middle‐school students were randomly assigned to either an experimental (the Detect, Practice, Repair [DPR]) or control condition (reading intervention). After covarying pretest scores, the DPR treatment produced a significantly higher (p = .016) adjusted mean (M) math score (M = 47.53, standard deviation [SD] = 3.26) for the intervention group when compared to the control group (M = 33.31, SD = 4.39). The intervention is described so that teachers and consulting school psychologists can implement the steps for individuals or groups (e.g., in a multitiered response to intervention model). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Teaching and Learning Science for Transformative, Aesthetic Experience

Drawing from the Deweyan theory of experience (1934, 1938), the goal of teaching and learning for transformative, aesthetic experience is contrasted against teaching and learning from a cognitive, rational framework. A quasi-experimental design was used to investigate teaching and learning of fifth grade science from each perspective across an entire school year including three major units of instruction. Detailed comparisons of teaching are given and pre and post measures of interest in learning science, science identity affiliation, and efficacy beliefs are investigated. Tests of conceptual understanding before, after, and one month after instruction reveal teaching for transformative, aesthetic experience fosters more, and more enduring, learning of science concepts. Investigations of transfer also suggest students learning for transformative, aesthetic experiences learn to see the world differently and find more interest and excitement in the world outside of school.     

Relative Age Effects are a developmental problem in tennis: but not necessarily when you’re left‐handed!

Relative Age Effects (RAEs), describing attainment inequalities as a result of interactions between biological age and age‐grouping procedures, have been demonstrated across many sports contexts. This study examined whether an additional individual characteristic (i.e., handedness) mediated RAEs in tennis. Relative age and handedness distributions of 1027 male professional tennis players ranked in the year‐end ATP Top 500 for 2000–2006 were analyzed. Relatively older players, born in the first two quartiles, were over‐represented for right‐handed players (86.56%), whereas no RAEs were found for left‐handers (13.44%). Findings seem to suggest that left‐handers in tennis gain advantages that circumvent the RAE problem.     

A comparison of behavioral and constructivist interventions for increasing math‐fact fluency in a second‐grade classroom

Although basic math skill deficits are commonly encountered across elementary and secondary school students, few empirically validated, group‐administered interventions are available for educators attempting to prevent or remedy such problems. This study compared the effectiveness of two theoretically distinct interventions for improving the subtraction‐fact fluency of a general education class of second‐grade students. An alternating treatments design was used to compare a behavioral intervention, Cover, Copy, and Compare (CCC), to an intervention from a constructivist‐oriented resource, Facts That Last (FTL). Results demonstrated that CCC led to increases in math‐fact fluency, whereas the classwide response to FTL activities did not differ from the control condition. Two months postintervention, maintenance data revealed that the fluency increases associated with CCC were sustained. Discussion focuses on practical implications of the study as well as possible theoretical explanations for the documented results. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Actors and act-ers: Enhancing inclusion and diversity in teaching and teacher education through the validation of quiet teaching

We find that Teacher Education attracts, in addition to those outgoing students who are at ease in front of a group of people, a number of student teachers who are often quiet, reserved, shy, or not at all comfortable being the center of attention. Many times these aspiring teachers have gifts and talents that are not readily apparent, yet comparable to their more outgoing peers. Often, they are caring, passionate, and reflective.     

Assessing intellectual potential in Tanzanian children in poor areas of Dar es Salaam

The research set out in this paper attempts to identify whether one of three conventional IQ tests is more capable of identifying intellectual potential amongst poor children in Dar es Salaam. To this end 1857 children from 17 government schools in poor districts of Dar es Salaam were asked to complete a questionnaire and undertake a range of tests. The study included teacher, peer and self-nomination. It has been noted that static testing may not fully elicit the abilities of African children. It has been suggested that dynamic testing might provide a more fair and equitable means of assessment. Therefore 101 students took part in a control and intervention group in order to investigate. The findings show a significant correlation between IQ test scores and other test outcomes. Those with larger families and older children perform less well on IQ tests. Peer ability and self-confidence positively influence test scores.     

Handwriting instruction: a commentary on five studies

Handwriting is still a prominent mode for composing for both children and adults As a result, it is important that developing writers acquire fluent and legible handwriting. This article examines the five investigations that were presented in this special issue on handwriting instruction, providing a summary of their collective contributions as well as the limitations of each paper.