WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LEARNING SCIENCE? AN ANALYSIS OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL

ABSTRACT:  The paper explores the current rationale for primary science in England with a focus on how competing perspectives arising from perceptions of educational ideology and policy discourse have helped to shape current practice. The aim will be to provide a conceptual understanding of this by focusing specifically on how policy has influenced practice. In particular it will consider the way in which discourse and policy text have contributed to the emergent rationale for primary science which in many ways reflects conflicting influences, views and policies. Data were collected over a year from a regional survey and from four case-study primary schools. The findings suggest that teachers in primary schools face tensions between promoting both an educational and a political rationale for learning primary science. The paper will conclude by suggesting that the justification for primary science should be based on what we already know about how children learn science as well as helping them to develop an understanding of science and how it influences and is intrinsically linked to the needs of society.     

Fetal Substance Exposure and Cumulative Environmental Risk in an African American Cohort

Two models of vulnerability to socioenvironmental risk were examined in 337 African American children (M = 7.8 years) recruited to overrepresent prenatal alcohol or cocaine exposure: The cumulative risk model predicted synergistic effects from exposure to multiple risk factors, and the fetal patterning of disease model predicted that prenatal insult will increase vulnerability to environmental risk. Four or more risks emerged as a threshold for poorer cognitive and behavioral outcome among the non‐substance‐exposed children, whereas substance‐exposed children showed greater vulnerability to lower levels of environmental risk. Cumulative risk was associated with increased delinquent and internalizing behaviors only for the substance‐exposed group. Results support the cumulative risk model for non‐substance‐exposed children and increased vulnerability to environmental risk among the substance‐exposed group.     

Young adult outcomes of the Abecedarian and CARE early childhood educational interventions

Adult benefits for participants in Project CARE were compared with those of the Abecedarian Project, a closely related randomized study of early childhood educational intervention for children from low-income families who were at risk of developmental delays and school failure. CARE replicated Abecedarian's young adult treatment-related educational and vocational attainment gains. CARE data also supported the Abecedarian reduction in marijuana use. Treated individuals in both studies reported adopting a more active life style. The average age at birth of a first child, the number of children, and the proportion of teen parents were positively affected in the Abecedarian sample but not in CARE. Finding significant educational and vocational gains lasting into young adulthood in the CARE study reinforces Abecedarian young adult findings and strengthens the case for early childhood intervention for children from low-income families.     

对中国新文学的一种回顾

对20世纪30年代新文学史的编纂和对新文学作品的选编,需要与当时的社会和文化境况,特别是与当时的文化争论紧密联系起来.重读这些资料,有助于我们今天对当时文化界境况的了解,而且也可以重温当时对新文学的评价,从中可见五四运动的一些主要人物再三重申并肯定五四理想,同时也表现出他们的一些不自信和担心.他们反思到:他们生命中的一段历程结束了,与之诞生的文学也行将告一段落.总之,可以推想:20世纪30年代新文学史的编纂和新文学作品的选辑,并不是五四全盛时期的硕果,而是人们对轰轰烈烈的五四运动的深切留恋,<中国新文学大系>尤其可以算是为了已结束的文化时代,也为了自己一代人所作出的贡献而建立的一座纪念碑.     

Understanding curriculum as geo/biospheric text

PROSPECTS - The world is experiencing crises related to the cascading effects of anthropization. These crises result from imperialist and capitalist practices that categorize and exploit the other...     

Helping science methods students construct meaning from text

Conclusion The pursuit of meaning through reflection is an ultimate goal of teacher education. The reading reaction sheet strategy is one way to help methods students construct meaning about science teaching and learning, and is applicable to other college courses where considerable reading is expected. Furthermore, through instructor modeling (Kyle, Abell, & Shymansky, 1989; Yeany & Padilla, 1986), preservice teachers are more likely to employ techniques for reading in the content area in their own teaching. Thus the reading reaction sheet strategy illustrates the integration of research in reading, writing, and science education and its application to classroom practice.     

The Future of Professional Photojournalism

The work practices of the professional photojournalist are currently undergoing rapid change in the digital era. New technologies, new platforms and new methods of visual storytelling are exerting a range of pressures and influences that require photojournalists to adapt and respond in different ways. The changes provoke a number of questions that are critical to the future of professional photojournalism: What are the new risks being faced by photojournalists? How are the transformations in the media economy affecting photojournalists’ employment? What does this mean for image quality? How do photojournalists think about the manipulation of images or the staging of events? Given the rise of citizen journalism, digital technology and social media, will there even be professional photojournalists in the future? This paper presents some of the results and new analysis from the first international study into the current state and future of professional photojournalism, with a specific focus on risk and on perceptions of risk among photographers. The results indicate a high degree of risk is experienced among professional photographers with a very strong correlation to the country in which they are based.     

Nouns Mark Category Relations: Toddlers'' and Preschoolers'' Word-Learning Biases

Recent research suggests that preschool children approach the task of word learning equipped with implicit biases that lead them to prefer some possible meanings over others. The noun-category bias proposes that children favor category relations when interpreting the meaning of novel nouns. In the series of experiments reported here, we develop a stringent test of the noun-category bias and reveal that it is present in children as young as 2 years of age. In each experiment, children participated in a 5-item match-to-sample task. Children were presented with a target item (e.g., a cow) and 4 choices, 2 of which belonged to the same superordinate category as the target (e.g., a fox and a zebra) and 2 of which were thematically related to the target (e.g., milk and a barn). In Experiment 1 we demonstrate that novel nouns prompt preschool children to attend to superordinate-level category relations, even in the presence of multiple thematic alternatives. In Experiment 2, we ascertain that the bias is specific to nouns; novel adjectives do not highlight superordinate category relations. In Experiment 3, we demonstrate the noun-category bias in 2-year-olds. The nature and utility of the noun-category bias are discussed.     

Towards becoming a reflective practitioner: What to know and where to find it

Preparing student teachers to teach thoughtfully and to consider carefully the consequences of their work involves creating opportunities for these beginning teachers to learn the skills and attitudes required for reflective practive. The case study described here explores one model of developing reflective practice and the congruent role that the source and use of knowledge of good teaching practice has in the process of developing the reflective practices of a post-graduate pre-service science teacher. Of particular interest are the facilitators and barriers she sees as affecting this development. Specializations: Science education, science teacher education Specializations: science education, science teacher education, conceptual change, learning environments, science reasoning.