Construction of Critically Transformative Education in the Tucson Unified School District

A critically transformative education continues to be at the center of Tucson Unified School District's (TUSD) equity and academic excellence mission. Through the use of the Social Transformation paradigm and the lesson learned from the implementation of the Critically Compassionate Intellectualism Model, TUSD once again created a cutting edge transformative, cultural, ethnic, multicultural, equity-based curricula that seeks to stimulate the blossoming intellectual capacities of our students. It presents the opportunity to build foundations and structures of collective and individual agency. Along the lines of agency, it promotes what is called barriorganic intellectualism and the nurturing of gardens of intellectualism (jardines del intelectualismo) that provide opportunities for both the academic and personal transformation of our students.     

Perceived benefits and barriers to the use of high-speed broadband in Ireland's second-level schools

As part of Ireland's National Digital Strategy, high-speed broadband is being rolled out to all second-level schools to support greater use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education. This programme signals a move from slow and unreliable broadband connections for many schools to a guaranteed high-speed connection with technical support. Theoretically, this should allow for behaviours and pedagogies to adapt, incorporating ICT into education. Research shows that integrating ICT into teaching and learning is a gradual process for most teachers and is influenced by a complex mix of socio-technical factors. Our data set consists of survey data from teachers and principals from a sample of second-level schools. The survey collected factual and attitudinal variables including attitudes towards ICT integration, current availability of infrastructure and barriers to ICT use, before schools received high-speed broadband connectivity. We examine the factors influencing teachers’ attitudes to ICT and their perceived barriers in adopting new technologies in their day-to-day teaching. Analysis of this baseline period is essential in an iterative digital strategy, informing future strategies, targeting policy most effectively and achieving policy objectives. While attitudes towards the potential of high-speed broadband and use of ICT are consistently positive across sub groups of schools and teachers, perceived barriers to ICT usage differ.     

Low-achieving (learning disabled) pupils in year 2 of the primary school in Hungary

We selected 60 low-achieving children from a sample of 263 pupils in Year 2 of the primary school in order to analyse the problems of learning disabilities. We explored two questions: whether teachers evaluate the pupils' school performances correctly; and what kind of relationship exists between the low-achieving pupils' cognitive abilities and their school performance. Methods used were questionnaires, pedagogical tests and traditional psychological tests. We obtained the following results: the teachers generally evaluate the pupils' school performance fairly well, but they are inclined to assume a close correlation between the achievements in different subjects, and the teachers' knowledge of the low-achieving children is more reliable regarding the group of pupils as a whole rather than each pupil individually; and the low-achieving pupils' cognitive learning abilities prove to be significantly weaker than their general intellectual abilities.     

Science teachers' knowledge about and attitudes towards the use of models and modelling in learning science

A semi-structured interview was used to enquire into the knowledge of models and modelling held by a total sample of 39 Brazilian science teachers working in 'fundamental' (ages 6-14 years) and 'medium' (ages 15-17 years) schools, student teachers, and university teachers. This paper focuses on their perceptions of the role of models in science teaching. The teachers' ideas are organized in three groups: the status and value of models; the influences that inform the translation of these general ideas into classroom practice; and how they respond to the outcomes of students' modelling activities. The teachers interviewed generally showed an awareness of the value of models in the learning of science but not of their value in learning about science. They were also uncertain of the relationship that could exist in the classroom between various types of models. Modelling, as an activity by students, whilst praised in theory, would not seem to be widely practised. Where practised, the outcomes are by no means always treated with that integrity that learning about science would call for.     

What are Emergent Democratic Societies Doing to Democracy?

New evidence from the largest democracy in the world, India,and her four neighboring countries in South Asia has come tocomplete a picture that is difficult to ignore. Today we gather,in the Globalbarometer, public opinion data from 46 emergentdemocracies. The query posed by the new South Asian Barometeris not what democracy is doing to these societies, but whatthese societies are doing to democracy. Comparing results for Africa, Latin America, East Asia, andSouth Asia renders a map of a reduced understanding of democracy.It appears that the more democracy spreads, the more simplethe conception of democracy in people's minds gets. It seemswith few exceptions in the countries surveyed that democracyto the people means above all freedom, whereas the institutionaland procedural dimension of the concept is not so salient     

THE GENETIC ASPECTS OF HIGH INTELLIGENCE

A cohort of 71 pairs of twins was studied in a project which started within the decade 1965 to 1975. The total level of intelligence (global IQ) and the level of particular intellectual components have been examined annually since the twins were two years of age. The data were analysed by comparing monozygotic and dizygotic twins. The results revealed that high intelligence is influenced much more by hereditary than exogenous factors. Furthermore, there is an irregularity in the development of intellectual level from childhood to adulthood. Consequently, decision making about children cannot be carried out on the basis of a single IQ evaluation. A cluster analysis demonstrated the importance of hereditary factors not only on intellectual level, but also on the pattern of intellectual development.