Three ways of knowing: Agricultural knowledge systems of small-scale farmers in Africa with reference to Kenya

Research carried out in 2011 in Kirinyaga district, Kenya, shows how sense-making theory and methodology can be used to assess the use of local agricultural and external knowledge by small-scale farmers and its effects on small-scale agriculture. Two knowledge systems, the local knowledge system and the external or scientific knowledge system, are considered dominant. The two systems can be synergistic and small-scale farmers have mixed them in their farming activities. Blending systems improve communication, livelihoods, and economies within local communities, and increases their participation in development. Data were collected in focus group discussions with farmers' groups and interviews with individual farmers. Results show that most farmers in Kirinyaga use external agricultural information in their farming practices. A significant number use combined external agricultural information and local knowledge, which forms a third knowledge system. This third system requires the validation of the farmers' innovations and documentation of the knowledge for wider dissemination. Information providers should adopt policies that promote the use of the three knowledge systems by small-scale farmers.     

Scaffolding in technology-enhanced learning environments

Scaffolding has proven an especially interesting and promising area for supporting teaching and learning practices. Particular interest has emerged in scaffolding student learning in technology-enhanced environments. In this paper, we discuss how scaffolding is implemented in technology-enhanced environments, provide an overview of scaffolding processes and techniques in various contexts, and then provide empirically based guidelines for designing scaffolding in technological environments. We examine current research to identify two primary design components, cognitive and interface, and suggest how scaffold design might be improved for more effective use by learners. We conclude by identifying practice and research implications.     

Success at Scale: Outcomes of Community-Based Neurodevelopment Intervention (CASITA) for Children Ages 6–20 months With Risk of Delay in Lima,Peru

This study is a randomized controlled trial of a 12-week community-based group parenting intervention (“CASITA”) in Lima, Peru. CASITA improved neurodevelopment in a pilot study of 60 Peruvian children and subsequently scaled to 3,000 households throughout the district. The objective of this study was to assess intervention effectiveness when implemented at scale. A total of 347 children ages 6–20 months (52.7% male, 100% identified as “mestizo”) at risk for developmental difficulties were randomized to immediate or delayed CASITA. At 3 months after enrollment, the immediate arm showed significantly higher overall development, based on the Extended Ages and Stages Questionnaire and Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment scores (Cohen’s ds = .36 and .31, respectively). Programs demonstrably effective at scale could help address children’s development risks worldwide.     

Relational epistemologies in land-based learning environments: reasoning about ecological systems and spatial indexing in motion

Cultural Studies of Science Education - Social and cultural practices in learning settings are sites for leveraging and/or remediating sustainable and just conceptions of nature–culture...     

Interpretation of Score Reports by Diverse Subgroups of Parents

The degree to which diverse score users can understand and consume information presented in score reports dictates whether they are able to draw reasonable conclusions. The goal of this study was to understand how parents (a particularly understudied and heterogeneous stakeholder population) make interpretations from a hypothetical interactive score report. We used cognitive laboratories to evaluate how 35 parents from diverse educational and language proficiency backgrounds make sense of the information presented in hypothetical K-12 score reports. Results from this study demonstrate the diversity in the levels of comprehension across the assessed subgroups of parents, and highlight the need for and importance of additional support materials that can help parents understand and make sense of the information presented in score reports. Nevertheless, due to the hypothetical nature of the score report mockup evaluated and the small sample sizes, these results should be substantiated with additional research.     

Media Usage and Acculturation: Asian Indian Professionals in Silicon Valley*

We examine connections between media use, intergroup contact, and acculturation in 237 Asian Indian professionals in Silicon Valley, drawing on theories of immigrant acculturation, intergroup contact, and media effects. Quality of host contact positively predicted acculturation. Indian (ethnic) media consumption negatively predicted acculturation, and American (host) media consumption was positively related to acculturation. Ethnic television viewing exacerbated the effects of negative intergroup contact on acculturation. Respondents used social networking websites to maintain both host and ethnic ties. Host cultural/informational capital was positively related to acculturation. Host media consumption was positively related to political engagement and loneliness.     

Learning to Lead: an Approach to Mathematics Teacher Leader Development

This paper describes a partnership between a university and an urban school district, formed with a goal of preparing mathematics teacher leaders to conduct professional development (PD) at their schools. The university and district partners worked together to achieve the district’s mission of providing every student with high-quality instruction and equitable learning opportunities in mathematics by building the district’s capacity to conduct school-based PD for mathematics teachers. Given the power of school-based subject-specific PD for improving instructional quality, we worked with Teacher Leaders from participating schools to prepare and support them to lead PD workshops at their schools. In this paper, we examine how Teacher Leaders learn and adapt key elements of a PD model over three school years through the lenses of Prediger et al.’s Three-Tetrahedron-Model (2019) and the university’s Learning to Lead model. Over 3 years, we see that Teacher Leaders use the key structures of the PD model; make adaptations in response to school goals, interests, and priorities; and gain confidence in their work with colleagues. By viewing the adaptations through the lens of pedagogies of practice as well as the relationships illustrated by the 3-T model, this work offers insights into the complexities of teacher leadership development.