A Personal Theory of Teaching Computing Through Final Year Projects

Stated learning objectives for final year projects tend to be fairly generic. As a result, individual students' experience of project work will depend heavily on the attitudes and beliefs of their supervisor. This paper questions the purpose of projects in the computing curriculum and proposes a personal theory of teaching through projects. In deciding whether such a personal theory should emphasize disciplinary specific content or an experiential approach to learning we consider teaching and learning as a process of enculturation. The personal theory of teaching proposed envisages projects as an opportunity for students to engage in realistic activity which allows them to learn something of the nature of the discipline. The student may be thought of as being on a journey, while the supervisor takes the role of a guide pointing out alternatives along the route but allowing students ultimately to find their own way.     

YOU CAN TOUCH THIS: SIMULATION EXERCISES FOR AGING AND DISABILITY

Materials and exercises that may be used to simulate some of the deficits that occur in vision, hearing, mobility, and manual dexterity with increased age or disability are described. How arthritis, stroke, glaucoma, cataracts, and yellowing of the lens of the eye may be simulated is explained. The demonstrations are appropriate for educating health care professionals in gerontology and geriatrics and have been used with students of all ages.     

INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE OF EDUCATIONAL GERONTOLOGY: INTERDISCIPLINARY GERIATRIC EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS: THE DEVELOPMENT,IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS IN THE RHODE ISLAND GERIATRIC EDUCATION CENTER

The interest around intergenerational programs and the fostering of intergenerational relationships is growing internationally. However, studies on the profile and functions of intergenerational program managers are still scarce. Furthermore, available approaches to the traits and functions of intergenerational program managers have not highlighted which features are distinctive of these professionals. Through a Delphi study undertaken in Spain, with participation of 18 intergenerational program managers and 12 intergenerational specialists, consensus was reached around characteristics of both the general profile of intergenerational program managers and the specificities of this occupational role. On the one hand, being able to work on a team, having skills for observation and contextual analysis, and being skilled at managing resources were identified as the most important general characteristics. On the other hand, being good at promoting contacts, social relationships, interactions, and bonds was deemed to be the most distinctive feature of this profile. After contrasting our results with international guidelines and standards for intergenerational work, the need to develop and reinforce further the relational nature of this professional figure is argued.     

‘I guess it scares us’ – Teachers discuss the teaching of poetry in senior secondary English

This article reports on a participant‐centred research project with English teachers in a senior secondary college in Melbourne, Australia. It builds on previous research (Weaven and Clark 2009, 2011), which showed a low take‐up of the opportunities to teach poetry in Victoria's senior secondary English curriculum. This study explores the reasons why teachers of English are unwilling to use poetry texts in their senior classes. The teachers who participated in this study discussed and documented their attitudes towards the teaching of poetry and explored with each other the pedagogical challenges associated with teaching poetry. Their discussions – an analysis of which forms the empirical core of this article – reveal a range of explanations for teachers' reservations about offering poetry to their students. Importantly, these teachers were able to use professional discussion as a means to consider what changes in teaching practice could be successfully developed to facilitate more time spent on the teaching of poetry in senior secondary classes.     

Social Equity Theory and Racial‐Ethnic Achievement Gaps

In the United States, racial‐ethnic differences on tests of school readiness and academic achievement continue. A complete understanding of the origins of racial‐ethnic achievement gaps is still lacking. This article describes social equity theory (SET), which proposes that racial‐ethnic achievement gaps originate from two kinds of social process, direct and signal influences, that these two kinds of processes operate across developmental contexts, and that the kind of influence and the setting in which they are enacted change with age. Evidence supporting each of SET's key propositions is discussed in the context of a critical review of research on the Black–White achievement gap. Specific developmental hypotheses derived from SET are described, along with proposed standards of evidence for testing those hypotheses.