The effect of the spatial arrangement of simple diagrams on the interpretation of english and nonsense sentences

In two experiments, subjects received problem sets consisting of a simple diagram accompanied by two sentences and were asked to select the sentence that best expressed the meaning of the diagram. Each diagram showed a relationship between two concepts. The relationships were category membership, possession of a property, and causality. The relative placement of the concepts was varied. In the first experiment, the concepts were given nonsense names. Significant biases in response frequencies were found, suggesting that, in the absence of semantic content, the interpretation of the diagrams was largely determined by syntactic rules of English. In the second experiment, similar biases were found for diagrams whose concepts were given English names. However, the biases were less evident when the diagrams violated the rules of English syntax. This suggested that conflict between the sense of English and a diagram's spatial arrangement makes consistent interpretation unlikely. Conclusions are drawn concerning the relationships between the spatial arrangement of diagrams and the meaning of relationships among concepts stated in sentences. Suggestions for diagram design are offered.     

Technology in the elementary school: Blind variation and selective retention

Teaching technology without reference to the human need which calls for it, not only gives students the wrong idea about the nature of technology, it also hides the importance of the testing of artifacts for operation in the relevant environment. The research reported in this paper began with the trialing of stories designed to show the social need which triggered new invention, in the appropriate period of history, through the eyes of contemporary children of our pupils' age. The pupils were asked to design their working models through drawings, to construct them, and then to test and evaluate them. The model used to understand the interplay between the ideas in the minds of pupils, and the selection process which decided on their worthiness, is one drawn from evolutionary epistemology. Data shows that some elementary school children do recognise the mental nature of the design activity as the combination of parts of remembered mechanisms, and the grounds for selection as fitness for the job in the chosen environment. This approach goes some way towards distinguishing aspects of technological education from scientific education, including the high value accorded to creativity and personal invention in technology.     

Teaching Mathematics: Ritual, Principle and Practice

One of the criticisms of standard teaching practices is that they support merely 'ritual' as opposed to 'principled' knowledge, that is, knowledge which is procedural rather than being founded on principled explanation. This paper addresses issues and assumptions in current debate concerning the nature of mathematical knowledge, focusing on the ritual/principle distinction. Taking a discussion of centralism in logic and mathematics as its start-point, it seeks to resolve these issues through an examination of mathematics as a community of practice and the teacher's role as epistemological authority in inducting pupils into such practices.     

Constructing views of science tied to issues of equity and diversity: A study of beginning science teachers

In this study, we examined the discursive and social practices of a teacher educator (the first author) and her eight beginning science teachers in a course on the nature of science and issues of equity and diversity. We focused our investigation on beginning science teachers' views of science and science teaching, as well as the grounds they offered for their views. We organized our discussion of the nature of science, teacher learning, and grounds for views along three dimensions: personal, social, and political. We found that beginning teachers routinely drew from only one of these three dimensions to support their views of the nature of science and ways to represent science to all students. In our implications, we recommend that teacher educators encourage teacher learners to examine personal, social, and political grounds carefully and critically in the process of constructing or revising their views. We argue that attention to these three dimensions of grounds for views will assist beginning teachers in adopting nature of science positions that are broad and complex, that more clearly reflect the goals of equity and excellence, and thus, that hold greater promise for achieving a science education inclusive of all students. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 53–76, 2003     

A meta‐analysis of school‐wide positive behavior support: An exploratory study using single‐case synthesis

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) for behavioral problems was included in the 1997 Individuals With Disabilities Education Act reauthorization, reflecting the increased implementation and strengthening empirical evidence for PBS in schools. Whereas PBS can be used reactively, its flexibility has led to a popular comprehensive school‐wide model used for prevention. School‐Wide Positive Behavioral Support (SWPBS) has been used across a variety of school environments and various demographics and has been evaluated using a variety of different outcome measures. The authors conducted a meta‐analysis of SWPBS research spanning 16 years and 20 articles. Specifically, single‐case studies were evaluated using a regression‐based procedure. Results show promising early trends in the data across dependent variables with a need for further research in specific areas. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

“The total woman:”; The rhetoric of completion

The success of Marabel Morgan's Total Woman indicate its rhetorical effectiveness despite its substantive flaws. This article argues that the book's strong appeal to readers stems from: (1) its promise of fulfillment if woman expiate the guilt they bear for marital discord by self sacrifice; (2) its reinforcement of readers perceptions of themselves and their husbands; and (3) its emphasis on the power of “Total Women”; and its encouragement of sexual fantasy and play. These strategies produce a persuasive message which plays on readers’ concerns for their marriages, offers an alternative to the self consciousness urged by feminists and permits women to fulfill comfortable stereotypes yet experience the power and sexual freedom promised by liberationists. For readers with troubled marriages Morgan provides an alluringly simple, emotionally attractive answer to complex questions. Her message is rhetorically effective even if intellectually weak and psychologically misleading.