Useful metaphors for tackling problems in teaching and learning

Textbooks and lectures are typically structured around the belief that students learn the same way they would climb a ladder: straight up, one step at a time. Marc Schwartz and Kurt Fischer propose a pyramid and webs of pyramids as far more appropriate and useful metaphors.     

THE ROLE OF CREATIVITY IN EXPLAINING GIFTEDNESS AND EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

In addition to exceptional cognitive abilities and domain‐specific aptitudes, creativity potentials are frequently used to explain high achievement in science and technology. In the Guilford tradition, research focuses increasingly on convergent versus divergent thinking, that is, a suspected dichotomy between intelligence and creativity. Despite important insights about the relationship of ability and creativity, a number of important questions remain unanswered. These relate not only to conceptualization and measurement problems regarding the hypothetical construct “creativity”, but also to its diagnosis and nurturance in childhood and adolescence. It would appear that, in view of current research paradigms, the roles of ability and creativity need to be redefined in order to predict and explain excellent achievements more reliably. Advances are mostly expected from synthetic approaches. Consequently new theoretical models and empirical research results will be presented. Finally, some consequences for the explanation of high ability as well as excellent performances in school, university, and at work will be discussed     

Plasmaaustausch und Immunadsorption

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

THE NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF GIFTEDNESS: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Following a short discussion of conceptual and theoretical problems of giftedness, the methodological foundations and selected results of a (presently) four year longitudinal study are presented. This study is based on a multidimensional concept of giftedness: intelligence, creativity, social competence, musical ability, psychomotor ability (or practical intelligence). Both academic achievements and leisure activities, as well as cognitive and motivational personality factors and school and family socialisation conditions relevant to giftedness, were studied. During the second project phase developmental aspects and achievement analyses of gifted and normal students aged 6 to 18 years were the central aspects of the study. Finally, methodological problems in the identification of gifted children and adolescents as well as consequences for the nurturing of giftedness are discussed.     

Inflicted skeletal trauma: the relationship of perpetrators to their victims

OBJECTIVE: Although inflicted skeletal trauma is a very common presentation of child abuse, little is known about the perpetrators of inflicted skeletal injuries. Studies exist describing perpetrators of inflicted traumatic brain injury, but no study has examined characteristics of perpetrators of inflicted skeletal trauma. METHODS: All cases of suspected child physical abuse evaluated by the child abuse evaluation teams at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (January 1996 to August 2000) and at the Children's Hospital at Denver (January 1996 to December 1999) were reviewed for the presence of fractures. All children with inflicted fractures were entered into the study, and demographic data, investigative data, and identity of perpetrators were collected. RESULTS: There were a total of 630 fractures for 194 patients. The median number of fractures per patient was 2, and the maximum was 31. Sixty-three percent of children presented with at least one additional abusive injury other than the fracture(s). Perpetrators were identified in 79% of the cases. Nearly 68% of the perpetrators were male; 45% were the biological fathers. The median age of the children abused by males (4.5 months) significantly differed from the median age of those abused by females (10 months) (p=.003). CONCLUSION: In the cases where a perpetrator of inflicted fractures could be identified, the majority were men, most commonly the biological fathers. Children injured by men were younger than those injured by women.     

教育神经科学的未来:建构学习发展路径的工具

在教育神经科学领域,我们需要可靠的脑科学知识为学与教奠定坚实的基础。在教学实践中,应该尊重学生的兴趣以及他们独特的学习通路。在教育神经科学中,我们已经创建了一种通用的量表来评估孩子们的认知发展以及他们在校学习,这种评价重视对学生学习的支持与促进。在教育神经科学的研究中,重要的是,科学家与教育工作者相互合作,建立研究型学校,将心智、脑与教育领域的知识联系起来,以支持并促进学生的学习。