Rapid automatic naming: Easy to measure,hard to improve (quickly)

One explanation for the relationship between serial rapid naming (SRN) and reading is that SRN affects the temporal proximity of the phonological activation of the letters in a word, which, in turn, influences the acquisition of orthographic knowledge. To test this hypothesis, a group of Dutch first grade children was trained in the rapid serial naming of letter sounds. In addition, a no-training control group and a serial addition training group were included. Various measures of SRN and of reading were administered to evaluate the effect of the training. Before the training, we found a symbol-specific relationship between SRN and reading: the relationship of reading with letter-sound naming was higher than its relationship with number naming. The training of serial letter-sound naming was not successful. In contrast, the serial addition training was highly effective. We conclude that it might be difficult to quickly improve the serial rapid naming of letter sounds in beginning readers.     

傅伟勋“中西互为体用论”评析

“中西互为体用论”是傅伟勋提出的一个化命题。本从它的提出，它与中国化重建，它与中西化交流三个方面又析又评了这个命题的内涵，意义及其运用。     

Bayesian student modeling and the problem of parameter specification

In this paper, the application of Bayesian networks to student modeling is discussed. A review of related work is made, and then the structural model is defined. Two of the most commonly cited reasons for not using Bayesian networks in student modeling are the computational complexity of the algorithms and the difficulty of the knowledge acquisition process . We propose an approach to simplify knowledge acquisition. Our approach applies causal independence to factor the conditional probabilities and decrease the parameters required for each question to a number linear in the number of concepts. This also provides the new parameters with an intuitive meaning that makes their specification easier. Finally, we present an example to illustrate the use of our approach.     

适合学生主体发展的教育观述论

“创造适合学生的教育”应是现代教育的标志取向。教育要“适合学生”，首先必须明确学生是什么样的人，具有什么属性和特点。在教育过程中，学生具有独立主体、能动主体、发展主体等方面的属性，因此，“适合学生的教育”，必须是以个性教育观、主体教育观、创造教育观为主导思想的教育。     

Software scaffolds to promote regulation during scientific inquiry learning

This research addresses issues in the design of online scaffolds for regulation within inquiry learning environments. The learning environment in this study included a physics simulation, data analysis tools, and a model editor for students to create runnable models. A regulative support tool called the Process Coordinator (PC) was designed to assist students in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their investigative efforts within this environment. In an empirical evaluation, 20 dyads received a “full” version of the PC with regulative assistance; dyads in the control group (n = 15) worked with an “empty” PC which contained minimal structures for regulative support. Results showed that both the frequency and duration of regulative tool use differed in favor of the PC+ dyads, who also wrote better lab reports. PC− dyads viewed the content helpfiles more often and produced better domain models. Implications of these differential effects are discussed and suggestions for future research are advanced.     

Self-Determination and Goal Aspirations: African American and Latino Males’ Perceptions of Their Persistence in Community College Basic and Transfer-Level Writing Courses

This Grounded Theory study utilized Self-determination Theory to analyze the interview results of 18 community college African American and Latino males. The goal was to learn what helped participants to succeed and persist in developmental and transfer-level writing courses despite the obstacles that they faced. Three major themes emerged: (a) Male students of color continued to take and complete English courses because they were determined to achieve their academic goals; (b) they sought assistance and guidance from their English professors, from the writing lab attached to the basic skills course and from the writing tutoring staff; and (c) when they felt overwhelmed and considered dropping their English classes, their determination to achieve their goals and the assistance they received from faculty and other writing staff ultimately kept them from doing so. Therefore, first, community colleges should encourage students’ ability to be autonomous. Second, they can help students develop a sense of relatedness by providing a better sense of belonging. Third, institutions should develop strong faculty networks within the college to increase student motivation and self-determination by providing mentoring opportunities. Finally, institutions should consider utilizing faculty and other institutional agents to help students by providing information regarding various student support services that may help address issues students may be encountering.     

Developing Coherent Conceptual Storylines: Two Elementary Challenges

The ‘conceptual storyline’ of a lesson refers to the flow and sequencing of learning activities such that science concepts align and progress in ways that are instructionally meaningful to student learning of the concepts. Research demonstrates that when teachers apply lesson design strategies to create a coherent science content storyline, student learning is positively impacted (Roth et al., 2011). Because the conceptual storyline is often implicit within a lesson, and teachers often have difficulty articulating this aspect of lesson design (Lo et al., 2014), our professional development program engages elementary teachers in analyzing and developing graphic representations of a lesson’s conceptual storyline to make that element explicit. In this exploratory study, we present typologies that represent two primary challenges teachers faced in developing coherent conceptual storylines in their lesson design, and examine the extent to which professional development enhanced their capacity to develop a coherent conceptual storyline.     

Study on Predrying by Spin Flash Dryer for Granulation

Spin flash dryer has the advantages of both fluidized bed dryer and pneumatic dryer. It has predominance in dealing with thermal sensitive materials. In this paper, the distribution of the air velocity in the spin flash dryer is discussed,which indicates that the rotating air in the dryer chamber can be divided into two areas,potential flow area and plane swirl area. Experiments show that air tangent velocity effects the process of granulation most remarkably. The radial distribution and moisture content of the particles have their intrinsic rules along either the diameter or height of the drying chamber. Besides, the operating parameters of predrying on bleaching powder are optimized. To meet the strict standard of the wet-pressing granulator on the moisture content of the feeder,a narrow lap is made at proper height in the wall of the drying chamber,where a chute and a rotating valve are installed in order to predry the filter cake and remove a part of water. Then the material is fed into the wet-pressing granulator.     

The impact of inclusive education reforms on students with disability: an international comparison

ABSTRACT

When the Salamanca Statement called upon States to recognise the ‘necessity and urgency’ of providing students with a disability access to the regular education system (UNESCO 1994, viii), both Australia and the United States of America had existing legislative and policy documents articulating the rights of students with a disability to access regular education. Since that time both countries have clarified and amended their respective laws and policies, and signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN 2006) which urges States to reallocate resourcing to inclusive education, and to reduce segregation. In this article, I examine the policy reforms in each country and analyse aggregated and disaggregated student placement data within each context to consider the impact of these reforms for different groups of students. Results show that the different reform journeys in each context produced different outcomes for students in each country, with segregation increasing in Australia and decreasing in the USA. The results also suggest that the impact of these policies has not been proportionate across categories as students on the Autism Spectrum are more likely to experience educational segregation or exclusion in both countries.