Editorial introduction: Transitions in the process of education

This editorial introduction frames the special issue by highlighting its choices: examining transitions in the educational process, so as to highlight common features of many educational phenomena, often considered separately; and conceptualise transitions as time-embedded processes. Such theoretical choices raise methodological questions, among which, that of preserving the dynamics of education. Three main methodological options for doing so are considered: time reconstruction (verbal or graphic); real-time data gathering; and focus on the individual-social articulation. Each of the papers is thus presented through its specific methodological choices. Finally, two transversal characteristics of transitions are highlighted: the person-and-environment mutual responsiveness, and their inherent playfulness; some consequences for education are suggested.     

The perception of women engineers in the construction industry in Palestine

The industrial and occupational distribution of women is such that women are concentrated predominately in a few occupations, mostly in the service sector, such as banking, finance, insurance, public administration, hotel, and catering. Men and women are equal in their capabilities in almost every respect, provided that women are given the same opportunities as men for training, employment, and promotion. There is a lack of research studies on women in the construction industry; therefore this field needs special consideration. The purpose of the current study is to find out working conditions of the Palestinian women civil and architect engineers in the construction industry in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. In addition, it attempts to examine their career prospects and to understand problems experienced by these women throughout their academic years as well as in their careers. Discrimination against women is still present in today's construction industry as well as in other traditional engineering cultures. In order to minimise or cope with this problem, attitudinal change by both men and women is strongly suggested.     

A “can-do” Attitude for Students with Disabilities: Special Education in Rural Charter Schools

ABSTRACT

Charter schools are often the only alternative to traditional public schools for students with disabilities in rural communities. Part of a larger study, we employed a qualitative multiple case study design to examine special education practices in five rural charter schools to understand the services provided, barriers to providing these services, and any novel practices used to provide these services. Data analysis revealed the following themes: (a) intentional school models facilitated individualized approaches, (b) schools responded to tight labor supply by prioritizing retention and making efficient use of staff time, and (c) schools demonstrate flexibility and willingness to problem solve.     

Reacquisition following extinction in appetitive conditioning

In four experiments utilizing an appetitive conditioning preparation, reacquisition of conditioned responding was found to occur both rapidly and slowly following extinction. In Experiment 1, acquisition of responding to a tone that had been conditioned and extinguished occurred more rapidly than acquisition in either a group that received equivalent exposure to the food unconditioned stimulus or a “rest” control group that received only exposure to the apparatus in the first two phases. However, reacquisition was impaired relative to acquisition in a “learning-experienced” group that had previously received conditioning and extinction with a different stimulus. Experiments 2 and 3 produced similar results, but also found that high responding during reacquisition was confined to trials that followed reinforced, rather than nonreinforced, trials. Experiment 4, in which very few initial conditioning trials were used, produced reacquisition that was slow compared with both learning-experienced and rest controls. The results are consistent with a role for sequential learning: Reacquisition is rapid when animals have learned that reinforced trials signal other reinforced trials.     

带冠涡轮盘电火花加工专用CAD/CAM软件开发

In this paper,a special-purpose CAD/CAM software package,BliskCad/Cam,based on a commercial CAD/CAM software Unigraphics is developed to reduce difficulties in CNC-EDM of the shrouded turbine blisks.The software package con- sists of five modules such as electrode design,path searching,and machining simulation module.Functions of BliskCad/Cam include parametrical reconstruction of 3-D model of the blisk,intelligent design of complex shaped electrode,automatic gener- ation of NC codes,search of interference-free tool path for multi-axis NC-EDM and machining simulation,etc.Experimental verification is conducted by using BliskCad/Cam and the results show that it satisfies the requirements,and can realize pre- cision machining and reduce accessorial time remarkably.     

Refusing to settle for pigeons and parks: urban environmental education in the age of neoliberalism

The institutionalization of neoliberal reforms that began to take hold in the 1970s were by and large ‘common-sense governance’ by the 1990s. While the growing predominance of neoliberal discourse and marginalization of alternatives in environmental education is disconcerting on the level of policy, this paper explores an equally troubling phenomenon: the deepening of a neoliberal logic, such that it pervades the way we understand and relate with the world. Specifically, this paper draws upon an experience at a recent environmental education conference whereby participants were invited to explore three place-based inquiries inspired by Aldo Leopold in an urban environment: what is happening here? what has happened here? and what should happen here? Although the intention of the workshop was to explore some of the challenges involved in implementing a critical pedagogy of place, many of the participants seemed unwilling to criticize the way in which an urban downtown core suppresses the more-than-human aspects of place. We contend that environmental education is a key arena for debating the limits of neoliberalism and explore how these well-intentioned, but ultimately uncritical responses, run the risk of being appropriated by the ecologically destructive logic-informing neoliberal natures.     

Development and Validation of the Healthy Aging Incentives Scale

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a new instrument to measure the multidimensional nature of motivations to engage in healthy behavior practices among older adults. The Healthy Aging Incentives Scale (HAIS) was developed empirically from data collected from 158 older adults participating in a health and wellness clinic located within a multipurpose senior center in the United States. A factor analysis of the HAIS revealed five themes prompting older adults to participate in health aging practices: health and fitness, psychological well-being, locus of control, social functions, and socialization attributes. Additional data are provided that support reliability and validity of the HAIS including convergent validity of the 20-item scale by its correlation with healthy behavior habits. Conclusions are drawn showing literature support for the multidimensional scale and the important determinants for promoting healthy outcomes for this population.     

Bridging the gap between observation protocols and formative feedback

In this study, we sought to identify how feedback about classroom observations affected novice university mathematics instructors’ (UMIs) teaching practices. Specifically, we examined how a Red–Yellow–Green feedback system (RYG feedback) affected graduate student instructor (GSI) scores on an observation protocol (GSIOP). The protocol was developed specifically for this population, and both the GSIOP and RYG feedback were used within a peer mentoring program for GSIs, wherein novice GSIs were mentored by more experienced GSIs. Mentors observed novices’ classrooms using the GSIOP and provided RYG feedback as part of observation–feedback cycles. We analyzed 100 sets of scores, each collected over the course of a semester containing on average three observation–feedback cycles. Analyzing the semester-long datasets longitudinally provided insight into what types of feedback informed and influenced observed teaching. After qualitatively coding the feedback provided to the GSIs by their mentors along multiple dimensions, we found certain forms of feedback were more influential for observable changes in GSIs’ teaching. For example, pedagogical feedback that included contextualization (context and focal events) demonstrated a more positive change in GSIOP score than feedback that lacked contextualization. Our results suggest that contextual formative feedback has a positive change to student-focused and teacher-focused observations.

     

Nelson,Brian C & Erlandson,Benjamin E (2012) Design for learning in virtual worlds Routledge (New York & London) isbn 978‐0‐415‐88640‐6 215 pp £24.99 http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415886406/

Nelson and Erlandson have collated a summary of the work of early designers and researchers into virtual worlds for learning and assessment. While it is confined to those experiences already well known in the literature, it does provide a basic introduction for undergraduates. If it seems that this book could be relevant to you, I advise that you will probably find only parts of it of interest or use. John G Hedberg     

Executive functioning and preschoolers' understanding of false beliefs, false photographs, and false signs

Two studies were conducted to investigate the specificity of the relationship between preschoolers' emerging executive functioning skills and false belief understanding. Study 1 ( N =44) showed that 3- to 5-year-olds' performance on an executive functioning task that required selective suppression of actions predicted performance on false belief tasks, but not on false photograph tasks. Study 2 ( N =54) replicated the finding from Study 1 and showed that performance on the executive functioning task also predicted 3- to 5-year-olds' performance on false sign tasks. These findings show that executive functioning is required to reason only about representations that are intended to reflect a true state of affairs. Results are discussed with respect to theories of preschoolers' theory-of-mind development.