An effective mathematics and science curriculum option for secondary gifted education

Project Ga‐GEMS (Georgia's Project for Gifted Education in Math and Science) viewed the effect that placement in an integrated, hands‐on mathematics and science curriculum had on the achievement of academically talented high school students. For a two‐year period of time, students gifted in the areas of mathematics and science participated in a curriculum which incorporated higher‐level thinking skills and more real life laboratory experiences into mutually reinforcing mathematics and science lessons. After the conclusion of the two‐year program, Ga‐GEMS participants and a control group were given the mathematics and science sections of the ACT as they exited the tenth grade. The Ga‐GEMS students scored significantly higher on the Science Math Total, Pre‐Algebra/Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra/Coordinate Geometry and Plane Geometry/Trigonometry sections of the ACT. To determine if the Ga‐GEMS students retained their higher scores throughout high school the SAT scores of both groups were compared as the students exited high school. Significant differences in the areas of total score and mathematics were noted. This study lends support for the use of a differentiated curriculum for educating gifted students in science and mathematics.     

A tool for changing the world: possibilities of cultural‐historical activity theory to reinvigorate science education

Cultural‐historical activity theory, an outcrop of socio‐psychological approaches toward human development, has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past two decades but has yet to be appropriated into science education to any large extent. In part, the difficulties Western scholars have had in adopting this framework arise from its ontology, which is materialist dialectical and, hence, does not allow easy absorption into non‐dialectical (classical logical) thinking underlying much of Western scholarship. Cultural‐historical activity theory has tremendous potential because it sublates traditional dichotomies in everyday teaching‐learning situations including individual/collective, body/mind, intra‐/inter‐psychological, cognitive/emotive and psychological/sociological. In this contribution, we not only review the existing literature that uses or develops this non‐dualistic approach, but also articulate an intelligible explication of the theory that is more accessible to Western scholars and describe possible future curriculum work and research in science education as an expression of the fruitfulness of the theory.     

Defining curriculum policy through slogans

This article explores the upper secondary (or post‐16) school market. The study on which it is based, funded by the Swedish Research Council, was entitled ‘Upper‐secondary education as a market’. Empirical data include official statistics, policy documents, school publications, company reports and school visits. Printed and other news media were also scrutinised to identify how the marketisation of education is represented in public discourse. A number of themes emerged from the study which included mapping the expansion of the school market, chains of ownership and influence, marketing strategies, choice and the school market and issues raised in the media. These imply that there is a new market discourse which represents a clear break with previous social democratic education policies primarily aimed at enhancing citizenship and wider democratic values within an inclusive public school. However, critiques have also emerged including a call for strengthened regulations of and control over independent schools and concern about an education market equated more with shares and profits rather than pedagogy and student citizenship.     

OLDER ADULTS' PARTICIPATION IN UNIVERSITY CLASSES: COGNITIVE,MORALE, AND FAMILY CORRELATES

The number of older adults taking advantage of courses offered by institutions of higher learning is increasing. Despite this trend in university and college enrollment, educators know little about the reasons why adults aged 55 years and over are making the decision to return to school. This paper describes the results of an exploratory study about: (1) educational motivations of older students; (2) effect of involvement in university classes on older adults' attitude toward aging; and (3) impact of older individuals' participation in university classes on marital relations.

Interviews were_ conducted with twenty‐one married couples, aged 55 years and older (X = 68.54), with one spouse attending university classes. In order to compute life satisfaction analyses, a control sample was secured. This group consisted of 33 married couples, 55 years and over (X = 70.93), with neither spouse participating in continuing education.

Results indicated that older students viewed intrinsic learning goals to be significantly more important than extrinsic incentives (p<.01). Student couples reported significantly more positive attitudes toward growing older than did nonstudent couples (p<.05). Although participation in university classes had only a minimal impact on members' marital interaction, student couples express satisfaction with this effect.

Recommendations suggested the construction of assessment measures of older adults' self‐initiated versus externally reinforced learning goals. It is advised that pre‐ and posttest interview schedules be used when determining the impact on family solidarity of older adults' pursual of further learning. Future research is suggested which explores whether participation in continuing education provides skills or information for older persons to adjust to their changing environments which in turn would have an influence on level of morale.     

Launching the Virtual Academic Center: Issues and Challenges in Innovation

In October 2010, the University of Southern California School of Social Work entered the online education environment with the launch of the first national web-based MSW program. After an initial enrollment of 80 students, in just 3 years this state-of-the-art MSW, offered in a technology-advanced synchronous and asynchronous format, has generated an enrollment of 2,000 students residing in 38 states. The development and rapid growth of the Virtual Academic Center has not been without significant challenges, the most substantial of which has been the creation of a national field education program. This paper describes the MSW courses taught in the online environment, and pedagogical hurdles faced in order to maintain the educational quality that is the hallmark of the School's campus-based MSW program.     

Lemons to Lemonade: How Five Challenges in Teaching Macro Practice Helped to Strengthen Our Course

Teaching macro practice can be challenging. While students have some concepts of what macro practice entails, their knowledge may be limited and sometimes inaccurate. Moreover, students may be reluctant to engage in macro change efforts. Given the scarcity of literature regarding teaching macro practice and the growing importance of it in social work, this article addresses major issues that we encountered in teaching macro practice at a large Midwestern school of social work. In our institution only 6% of students are enrolled in macro concentrations and we wish to encourage students to expand their interests in macro practice even if they do not wish to pursue a macro concentration. We describe a macro practice course we designed to meet the challenges of teaching community, organization, and policy practice skills to master's level and advanced undergraduate students. Our goal is to expand the macro practice pedagogy literature and encourage social work faculty to consider both established and innovative ways of introducing the planned change process in community, organization, and policy practice to their students.     

《汽车故障诊断技术》实训教学的“三四教学法”

随着汽车技术的进步,汽车故障诊断技术也随之发展。因此,需对《汽车故障诊断技术》教学进行改革,以培养出相应的合格人才。为此,我院汽车系在教学实践中,对《汽车故障诊断技术》实践教学总结出了一套行之有效的"三四教学法"。     

力竭性"拉长-缩短周期"运动中离心收缩和向心收缩阶段肌肉疲劳和损伤及下肢主要关节用力特征研究

目的:观察在"拉长—缩短周期"运动中肌肉离心收缩和向心收缩后的疲劳、损伤状况和下肢髋、膝、踝关节的用力特征,为运动训练和预防损伤提供理论参考。方法:11名健康男性受试者通过确立的疲劳运动模型进行力竭性"拉长—缩短周期"运动,通过测试肌电图、关节用力分布特征和关节力量的变化评价SSC过程中肌肉离心、向心收缩阶段的疲劳损伤特征。结果:1)SSC运动后,肌肉向心收缩期的能力迅速降低,运动后10 min左右恢复,在运动后2 d4、d基本保持在同一水平;而离心阶段呈现出延迟性降低的特征。2)既定运动模型中,制动和爆发用力的蹲起阶段,膝关节承受的负荷最大。3)肌肉离心收缩后EMG和CK活性都呈现延迟性恢复的特征。结论:力竭性SSC运动中的离心收缩更容易造成肌肉的延迟性疼痛,且肌肉疲劳后恢复较慢。肌肉在向心收缩阶段,没有出现的明显的延迟性肌肉疼痛和/或损伤。力竭性SSC运动中膝关节是承受负荷的主要关节;髋关节和踝关节表现出对膝关节运动能力减弱的补偿性增长,共同构成下肢完成技术动作的协调机制。     

试论公益诉讼的宪政解释

公益诉讼是我国近些年来法实践的亮点,新闻报道层出不穷,学术界研究如火如荼,学术界对公益诉讼的研究较多局限于行政诉讼、民事诉讼等方面,本文拟从宪政的角度去剖析、评价公益诉讼,从思想、政治、经济三方面阐述宪政对现代公益诉讼的决定性意义。     

中小企业知识产权管理标准化研究

随着贸易的一体化和知识产权保护的全球化,世界经济的竞争更加激烈、复杂,给中小企业带来了巨大的挑战.通过标准化管理.使用ISO9000管理标准的过程管理方法,并借鉴OHSAS18000对知识产权管理标准进行优化设计,针对知识产权在企业经营不同阶段的体现,设置了固化的管理流程,构建了企业知识产权管理标准的系统框架,期望以此促进中小企业知识产权管理水平得到提高.