Touring Fantasyland: The “Maps of Imaginary Places” Collection and Exhibit at Cushing Memorial Library and Archives

The Maps of Imaginary Places Collection at Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University (TAMU) is a singular collaborative effort between two library departments at creating a collection that not only appeals to a wide range of patrons but shows how maps, fantasy, and popular culture intersect. In 2017, the Cushing Library mounted a popular exhibit showcasing highlights from this collection in order to bring the emotional and imaginative power of maps to a wider audience. This article describes how both the collection and exhibit were developed, as well as how they have been received by different patron groups, and includes as future directions for the collection. The principles and procedures for development of such a collection and exhibit are also described.     

The AQ scores of school-age children referred to educational psychologists

The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scale was designed to detect the level and distribution of autistic-like traits across both the general population and those diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Condition. Scores in the large normative samples were consistent with previous research in showing a continuous distribution of traits, implying that the Autism Spectrum might be viewed as one pole of an endless continuum rather than a distinct categorical condition. The preliminary research reported in this article looked at AQ levels in 75 random referrals to educational psychologists and identified a significantly elevated mean score with a large effect size (d = 1.46). The possible implications for practice and for further research are discussed.     

Evidence for different parent–child strategies while reading

This study examined the strategies parents use naturally to help early readers at difficult points of text or pronunciation. Forty‐two children were videotaped reading to a parent. Results suggest parents are not likely to provide specific instructional feedback when listening to their children read. When given, parental feedback tends to be well tuned to the child's reading ability, with parents of less skilled readers providing richer and more varied feedback than parents of more skilled readers. A tree clustering analysis placed parents in one of three groups: 1) ‘Learner centred’ parents use a variety of feedback strategies; 2) ‘Inactive’ parents allow their children to continue uncorrected; 3) ‘Direct’ parents supply the miscued word. The children of ‘learner centred’ parents did not perform as well as children of ‘inactive’ parents on measures of reading ability, possibly because parents of better readers no longer need to be ‘learner centred’.     

A Clearer Vision: Creating and Evolving a Model to Support the Development of Science Teacher Leaders

This paper describes a professional development model for developing science teacher leaders that has evolved and been refined through working with 16 high school chemistry and physics teachers in high-needs schools over the past 3 years. The theoretical framework draws upon Goodwin’s notion of professional vision and Dempsey’s four metaphors to inform an understanding of professional identity consistent with innovation and empowerment in (a) the classroom setting with students and (b) with teachers in collegial environments. Thus, leadership practices and purposes are discussed at two distinct levels and contexts, which interact reflexively. Sociolinguistic discourse analysis of multiple data sources enabled us to identify the professional development features that promoted or hindered the teachers’ growth toward a leadership perspective and disposition. Implications for science teacher renewal and retention as well as limitations of the study and proposed leadership model are also shared and discussed.     

Shuttlebox avoidance to intense white noise: Acquisition and the Kamin effect in rats

Experiment I demonstrated shuttlebox avoidance conditioning using intense white noise as a UCS. Ten rats were given 25 trials a day for 6 days. Escape latencies declined and avoidance responses increased over trial blocks. Experiment II provided support for a functional similarity between shock as a UCS and intense noise as a UCS by demonstrating the Kamin effect following incomplete shuttlebox training to noise. Separate groups of rats were given 25 trials followed by an additional 25 trials either 0, 1, 4, or 24 h later. The U-shaped Kamin effect was evident in the avoidance measure. A similar but inverted U-shaped function was obtained for the escape latency measure. Escape latencies were longer on retraining than on original training at 1 h but not at 0, 4, or 24 h after original training.     

Effects of US parameters on classical conditioning of cat hindlimb flexion

Unconditioned stimulus (US) intensity and duration were manipulated to determine their effects on cat hindlimb flexion conditioning. Seven consecutive days of acquisition training of a hindlimb flexor response to a tone conditioned stimulus (CS) were followed by 2 days of extinction. Eight animals in each of 12 groups received a 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-mA, 60-Hz shock delivered to the right hindleg for 25, 50, or 100 msec as the US. Analysis of conditioned-response (CR) frequency indicated that conditioned responding was a positive function of both the intensity and duration of shock, although these variables did not interact with one another. CR latency and amplitude were decreased and increased, respectively, by increases in US intensity. The pattern of results reported here may support a contiguity notion of conditioning, and are discussed in the context of other conditioning preparations.     

Exploring the Form and the Function: a Review of Science Discourse Frameworks in the Service of Research and Practice

Research in Science Education - The importance of how classroom discourse can be used to support science learning has gained national attention with respect to both science teaching and research...     

Creative block play

Blocks should be part of the daily free choice activity in early childhood settings for children between the ages of two and six. Large enough segments of time need to be allotted for blockbuilding activities, so that children can build various structures and also have enough time to use blocks for social and dramatic play. Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr. is Associate Professor of Education at the University of Miami. Arlene Brett is Associate Professor of Elementary Education at the University of Miami. This article is excerpted from The Complete Block Book, ©1983 Syracuse University Press, 1600 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, New York 13210. Photographs © 1983 by Michael Carlebach. The book is available from the publisher in paperback edition for $12.95 (plus $1.25 for postage and handling).