Theorema aureum — 2

In the first part of this article, we had introduced the notion of quadratic reciprocity and dwelt briefly on its history, which goes back all the way to the work of Fermat. Then we discussed the Law of Quadratic Reciprocity (‘QRL’), which Gauss named Theorema Aureum. Following this, we gave a not too well known proof of the QRL, due to G Rousseau. Now we give two more proofs of the QRL, drawing respectively from ideas in linear algebra and field extensions; they too are not very well known. Shivam Kumar graduated from Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore and is joining the London School of Economics for MSc in applicable mathematics. His interest lies in expanding the existing applied paradigm of mathematics from stock market to unchartered subjects such as sociometrics.     

Scalars vectors in physics - II

In Part I, the nature of scalars and vectors was discussed for the Newtonian world. However, in the relativistic world, physical quantities follow Lorentz transformations. This change of transformation from Galilean to Lorentz results in interesting distinctions in their properties: mass and time are no longer scalars, time and space become intertwined, etc. This part discusses the nature of scalars and vectors in the relativistic world.     

Priority Education Zones in Mauritius

This article discusses the Priority Education Zones project (ZEP) in Mauritius. The original and innovative dimensions of the project are described, together with the difficulties encountered during the setting-up of the ZEP schools. The article covers five main issues: the status of the ZEP project; the minimal conditions for success; the implications concerning the teachers; the obstacles faced; and the strategy devised to implement the ZEP project, while overcoming the obstacles.

Interest Assessment and the Content Area Literacy Environment: Challenges for Research and Practice

Through our exploration of the assessment of interest, we highlight 5 issues that emerge in the effort to assess interest in content area literacy environments. First, we compare how interest is defined and generally how it has been assessed. Second, we focus more specifically on the assessment of text-based interest, and consider its assessment in less explored realms of the content area classroom that include hypertext and discussions. Third, we investigate how interest develops as students progress through their educational careers and how it is maintained over time. Fourth, we explore how assessing interest involves examining other student factors that are closely related to interest such as knowledge, importance, and strategic processing. Finally, we offer thoughts regarding directions educators can take in assessing interest within the complex literacy environment of today's content area classroom.     

More than just fun: a place for games in playful learning / Más que diversión: el lugar de los juegos reglados en el aprendizaje lúdico

Games play a significant role in childhood, fuelling hours of engagement and social interaction, and probably much learning as well. Board games, card games and outdoor games (such as Tag) first come to mind, but more recently, games have also gone digital. In this piece, we offer a new perspective by placing games within the established construct of ‘playful learning’. We review key elements of playful learning and the two subtypes: free play and guided play. We suggest that games promote learning in ways similar to other playful learning situations. Games involve fun, a sense of curiosity and an inhibition of reality, in active, engaging, meaningful and socially interactive contexts. We argue that games therefore belong alongside free play and guided play to form a trio of playful learning experiences. This perspective adds to a growing understanding of the role of games in supporting children’s learning and development.     

Assessment of expert-novice chemistry problem solving using HyperCard: Early findings

Results of a HyperCard method for assessing the performance of expert and novice high school chemistry students solving stoichiometric chemistry problems (balancing chemical equations) have been reported. The assessment involved the use of a HyperCard instrument (Hyperequation) developed on a Macintosh platform to administer a set of five chemistry problems, register student responses, and collect data related to student performance. The chemistry problems have been previously tested and validated in traditional (pen-paper) assessment settings by other researchers. MANOVA results indicate a significant difference between the performance of expert and novice students solving the five stoichiometric chemistry problems using the Hyperequation. The study shows promise in that a HyperCard assessment method could differentiate between the performance of experts and novices in problem solving. The implication is that HyperCard might be a suitable technology for developing performance assessment methods not only in chemistry but also in other science disciplines.     

Passive Accomplice or Active Disruptor

Mediatization of politics in the institutional perspective is commonly taken to refer to the interactions between political actors and media actors, where the first become increasingly governed by media logic and the latter become increasingly independent from other institutions. Even though we could picture the relations between the different constituents as a triangle with audience, media and political actors as equally important corners, the institutionalist perspective does not give equal attention to the audience as actor in the process. In this article, I ask to what extent audience participation in news production affects our understanding of the process of mediatization of politics. I discuss both how audience participation can be seen as a challenge to media's role in politics (challenging the current conceptualization of mediatization of politics) as well as how the theory of mediatization can be seen to be confirmed by currently dominant audience participation practices. In the first understanding, we can argue that audience participation challenges independence of institutional media actors (to give more power to both audiences and politicians). In the latter understanding, audience participation can be seen to be governed by the same commercial interests as other media production and in addition that both mainstream and alternative media are subject to search engine logic. This article then calls for a critical examination of our understanding of mediatization of politics to do justice to the multiplicity of logics informing media practices, the multiplicity of actors producing news and, crucially, the interaction between those logics and actors.     

Quality assurance strategies for affiliated institutions of HE: a case study of the affiliates under National University of Bangladesh

Presently, education is considered as the main weapon for national development. However, this tenet has been challenged by several economists. Their findings give rise to a further question: whilst expansion of education increases globally, what is it exactly that continues to hinder a country’s progression? There is no short answer, but one major area of concern is the quality and relevance of the education available. Research for this paper, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, has been carried out by interviews and observation in the affiliates of the National University of Bangladesh, where 80 % of the students in higher education are the underprivileged. The findings show that the legislators ignore the fact that quality of education in the affiliates is perceived as important.