When the black box springs open: practical work in schools and the nature of science

The aim of this paper is not to bury practical work in school science but to (once again) reconsider it. We draw on three main areas of discussion: accounts of science and ‘school science work'; teachers and others’ views of the nature of science; and our own data on teachers’ reactions to ‘critical incidents’ and practicals which go wrong. We use this as a basis for re‐thinking the role of practicals. An account of practical work is suggested which has as its main feature diversity rather than a single model or template. Within this diversity we believe that teachers should be open and honest with pupils about which type of practical work they are doing and why. We advocate that students should be made aware of the different kinds of practical work they do and the purposes of this practical work. In short, teachers should explain to students what type of practical work they are doing and why. Our second message is that teachers’ views about the nature of science both inform and are informed by their classroom practices and experiences‐‐especially during lab‐work. To encourage, promote and support critical reflection of these classroom practices and experiences is therefore a vital part of teacher professional development; this in time will promote science curriculum development.     

Motor Behavior: From Telegraph Keys and Twins to Linear Slides and Stepping

Motor behavior is a significant area of scholarship with 64 Fellows from the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education engaged in that work since 1930. This paper provides a brief overview of the history of research in motor development and motor control/learning, particularly noting the contributions to scholarship of Academy Fellows. Specifi cally, Academy Fellows who are frequently cited are highlighted as are the highly cited papers. In addition, significant books authored and edited by Academy Fellows from motor behavior are listed.     

Renewal of Educational Systems Through Organizational Strategies

In this article, the author examines the role that teachers play in the moral development of American students. Historically, one of public education's purposes in America has been the development of moral citizens. However, educators currently face more academic accountability due to No Child Left Behind. Consequently, teachers must strike a balance between achieving quantifiable academic standards and assisting with students' character development.     

Political aspects of innovation

“Political aspects” that enhance, but also undermine, the positive transformational power of public innovation policies are examined. As such, this paper follows Micha? Kalecki in his 1943 paper that identifies the “political aspects” which enhance and undermine the positive transformational power of Keynesian full employment policies. Similarly, this paper provides a policy framework that identifies what government and business support as innovation policies. The role of innovation stems from Schumpeter's long-run perspective, but incorporates the more dynamic cyclical short-term and trend perspectives of Kalecki. This paper critiques the strategy of public innovation policy in general and derives policy implications.     

Considered evaluation of clinical placements in a new medical school

This article suggests that quality assessment in the UK has been largely set apart from learning and teaching and reports on a pilot project at the Hull York Medical School which attempted to integrate students’ evaluation of their clinical placements into the curriculum. It outlines the operational demands of this integrated method and compares the student experience of different evaluation methods. It argues that, when properly prepared and considered, evaluation can help students to practise useful skills and suggests that integrating this type of evaluation into the curriculum could be a step towards encouraging academic staff to engage with quality processes.