Deploying a Corporate Learning System at the Innovative Startup

The article discusses an empirical study that was conducted by the authors, in which they surveyed focus groups of young innovative entrepreneurs who are at different stages of creating their own projects. The authors devote particular attention to how training programs for the founders and staff should be implemented as the startup develops from its early phases into a sustainable-growth business.     

Has inclusion become a barrier to inclusion?

In this reflective piece the author focuses on the meaning that he made of inclusion in a book that was published almost twenty years ago. He then reflects on the meaning he makes of the current situation. He explores the problematic nature of the concept of inclusion, whether labels actually enable inclusion, research-informed implications of inclusion for those who do not experience SEND and the damaging impact of hyperaccountability and marketisation. He proposes that we may find future solutions by embracing complexities and educating for diversities.     

Young Children’s Ability to Produce Valid and Relevant Counter-Arguments

In collaborative problem solving, children produce and evaluate arguments for proposals. We investigated whether 3- and 5-year-olds (N = 192) can produce and evaluate arguments against those arguments (i.e., counter-arguments). In Study 1, each child within a peer dyad was privately given a reason to prefer one over another solution to a task. One child, however, was given further information that would refute the reasoning of their partner. Five-year-olds, but not 3-year-olds, identified and produced valid and relevant counter-arguments. In Study 2, 3-year-olds were given discourse training (discourse that contrasted valid and invalid counter-arguments) and then given the same problem-solving tasks. After training, 3-year-olds could also identify and produce valid and relevant counter-arguments. Thus, participating in discourse about reasons facilitates children’s counter-argumentation.     

The policy problem: the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and implications for access to education

This paper explores the changing terrain of disability support policy in Australia. Drawing on a critical disability framework of policy sociology, the paper considers the policy problem of access to education for people with disabilities under recent reform by means of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which commenced full roll-out across the country from July 2016. The paper reviews NDIS reports, legislation and associated literature to consider how eligibility to scheme participation and education services are shaped, and how education is positioned in the development and implementation of the NDIS. The analysis highlights tensions that exist for people with disabilities and their families who both access the scheme and who might draw on its provision to support their education, because of the way the policy is oriented towards pathological categorisation, standardised outcomes and service delineation rather than integrated support and informed involvement. The paper concludes by arguing that despite the policy priority across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries of increasing lifelong learning opportunities, fragmented NDIS policy in Australia prevents people with disabilities from achieving this ideal.     

Within-year changes in children’s intrinsic and extrinsic motivational orientations: Contextual predictors and academic outcomes

The present study was designed to investigate the nature, timing, and correlates of motivational change among a large sample (N = 1051) of third- through eighth-grade students. Analyses of within-year changes in students’ motivational orientations revealed that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations decreased from fall to spring, with declines in intrinsic motivation especially pronounced for the adolescents and declines in extrinsic motivation especially pronounced for the elementary students. These changes in motivation were explained, in part, by shifts in students’ perceptions of the school goal context. Findings suggested that typical age-related declines in intrinsic motivation may be minimized by a school-wide focus on mastery goals. Finally, the potential academic consequences of students’ motivational orientations were examined with a series of hierarchical multiple regressions. Intrinsic motivation and classroom achievement appeared to influence one another in a positive and reciprocal fashion. Poor classroom performance minimally predicted higher levels of extrinsic motivation, but extrinsic motivation was not a source of low classroom grades.     

The ongoing development of an effective model of action learning for use by the busy GP veterinary surgeon

I passionately believe that reflective practice is an essential competency for the busy GP veterinary surgeon to develop throughout their career. Action learning sets would appear to offer a way of promoting this while at the same time helping the GP veterinary surgeon find a way forward with professional issues. In this article I reflect on my own action learning journey to date and how it relates to the ongoing development of an action learning set model that is inspired by the following personal reflections: reflective practice is an essential competency required by the professional so as to ‘get the most out’ of their career; action learning sets are an effective way for the busy professional to use their work-based learning to get on a developing lifelong ladder of postgraduate qualifications for the GP veterinary surgeon; action learning dialogue, inspired by personal and shared issues from within the consulting and operating room, provides effective and ongoing personal learning and professional development opportunities for the GP veterinary surgeon; action learning set membership promotes, encourages and facilitates the understanding by the individual of the importance of making time available on a regular basis to proactively develop their professional competencies throughout their career; issues are very similar within most veterinary practices and that being a member of an action learning set can help the individual to move their issue onwards towards a ‘win-win’ solution.     

Organizing, Teaching, and Assessing for Student Success in Introductory College Physics

As part of a doctoral dissertation, Ben （2010） completed a study that extends to 462 pages. After a careful examination of this study and others that are in print, there seems to be a direct relationship between the decline in physics enrollment at the postsecondary level and the increase in the number of studies that have been carried out to determine why have we been off the mark in identifying the real problems that are contributing to the declining enrollment and the decreased student success in physics courses？ One problem is introductory physics books are generally written using a deductive approach, and because the teachers follow the organization of these books, they teach in a deductive, boring, and confusing way, and then, blame the students for being unprepared when they do not succeed. This approach distances the teachers--and physics--from the experience, knowledge, and initial interest of many beginning students. Another problem has been the absence of any alternative curriculum to the deductive one. In this paper, we describe a fully-developed alternative curriculum, really a detailed course design for Introductory College Physics I and II, each with its own text presented in the format of a three-ring binder, one for students and one for teachers which closely parallel one another. The course content is constructed to be both teacher and student friendly, so that a teacher can teach physics in an inductive, exciting, and clear manner. In addition, we describe and provide examples of the pedagogical and classroom management techniques that have proven extremely successful.     

Clapping with two hands: Bringing together local and outside knowledge for innovation in land husbandry in Tanzania and Ethiopia ‐ a comparative case study

Abstract

Promoting rural development in Africa involves learning to clap with two hands, that is to say, creating effective interaction between local knowledge and development initiatives, on the one hand, and the knowledge and initiatives of formal agricultural research and extension, on the other. Farmer innovators ‐men and women farmers who take their own initiative to change local agriculture ‐ are key allies in rural development, as shown by the experience of the ISWC programme in Africa. Focusing on Ethiopia and Tanzania, the authors describe how formal research and extension services are made aware of farmers’ innovative work and are encouraged to document the results, promote their spread, and support further development efforts by farmer innovators. A modified Participatory Technology Development (PTD) approach is thus emerging, which starts not with problem analysis but rather by linking up with local problem‐solving initiatives. While the learning process on this approach continues, dialogue has been initiated with policy‐makers with a view to incorporating the approach into regular government extension, research and training activities.     

‘That's how it works here’: The place of religion in publicly managed second-level schools in Ireland

This article problematises the place of religion within publicly managed Education and Training Board (ETB) schools in the Republic of Ireland. The study draws on interview data from 43 school personnel across 18 ETB second-level schools, as well as eight interviews with ETB Education/Chief Executive Officers. Having established the legal and historical contexts, the place of religion is explored from the perspective of school life and prescribed curriculum. Across the 18 schools, the prescribed curriculum for Religious Education did not take the form of ‘faith formation’. Rather, focus was placed on exploring all world religions. However, this compares with the role of religion within the life of the school; 14 of the 18 participating schools had religious dimensions as part of school life. Half of these schools (n = 7) were Designated Community Colleges, while the remainder were Non-Designated (n = 7). The religious dimension was always Catholic in nature. Bar a few exceptions, the role of religion within the life of the school remained largely unquestioned by school personnel. The article explores the findings in light of the legislative and historical contexts.     

利用双标图分析基因型和环境交互作用

在作物的品种区域化试验中，品种的基因型和环境（Ｇ×Ｅ）交互作用越来越受到重视．一种新的非常有效的分析Ｇ×Ｅ交互作用模型是加性主效应和乘积交互作用模型（简称ＡＭＭＩ模型），而双标图（ｂｉｐｌｏｔ）是解释ＡＭＭＩ分析结果的一种直观有效的图形工具．本文对ＡＭＭＩ模型及双标图作一扼要介绍，并选用１９９５年南方水稻区试单季晚粳组数据作为实例，给出了两种新的双标图，以帮助我们更深入地了解Ｇ×Ｅ交互作用．