Malaysian and Australian children’s representations and explanations of numeracy problems

Two developments have contributed to the convergence of views about the benefits of real-life and inquiry-based pedagogies in mathematics learning. First, the mathematics teaching community is increasingly focused on the learning of mathematics that involves the transfer of prior knowledge to novel problem-solving situations, a key element in recent characterizations of the notion of Numeracy. Second, research about human cognition in domain-specific learning suggests that problem-solving activity provides better contexts in which to observe the construction of creative connections of disparate information. The question is how can we examine the above cognitive processes, as these are played out in Numeracy contexts? (Tan, Educ Res Policy Pract 6:101–114, 2007) identified dialogue and inquiry as important themes of the psychology that girds problem-based learning. In this report, we take up Tan’s suggestion that research needs to make learner’s cognition more visible by immersing a cohort of Malaysian and Australian students in arithmetic word problems. Students were required to explain and justify their solutions. The frameworks of dialogue representation and schema guided our analyses that focused on students’ readings, explanations, representations and reflections about a given set of problem contexts. Results showed that both the groups experienced difficulty in representing far-transfer numeracy problems. However, Australian children tended to develop longer and more varied explanations in comparison to their Malaysian counterparts. Potential implications for classroom practices, policy-making and future research directions are explored.     

English Language Teaching in Malaysia Today

This article examines the changes in English Language teaching in Malaysia since its independence in 1957. It traces the problems encountered as the methodology for teaching English changed from a structural‐situational approach to a communicative approach. To illustrate the paradigmatic shift from knowledge‐based rote learning to self‐access learning that promotes independence and life‐long learning, and to produce manpower that can think creatively and critically, the Smart Schools Project and the extensive reading programmes are discussed.

     

City in/as graffiti. Chennai's many cities

Abstract

In postcolonial Taiwan, although Taiwan‐centric consciousness is the dominant discourse, it does not exclude but often conforms to transnational capitalism. Nativism and globalism combined form a powerful hegemony. Taiwanese television ‘idol dramas’ endorse the status quo, justifying and propagating desire for the Occident; yet such idealization of the West cannot fully silence skepticism and aversion. This paper examines Green Forest, My Home (2005), to explore the Occidental myth and its discontents. In binary opposition, (quasi‐)Westerners are portrayed as rich, beautiful, and refined; locals as malicious, simple, or ludicrous. Race is conflated with one’s socioeconomic and cultural status, one’s language, and one’s moral standing. Frustration and resentment are projected onto the minor roles played by authentic Westerners: authoritative yet anti‐romantic, they represent the West with negative connotations. The drama’s double‐faced portrayal of Westerners betrays a profound ambivalence toward the self and the Western other.     

Neuro-fuzzy control of underwater vehicle-manipulator systems

This paper presents an intelligent controller for underwater vehicle-manipulator systems (UVMS) based on the neuro-fuzzy approach. The controller is composed of fuzzy PD control with membership function tuning by linguistic hedge. A neural network compensator approximates the dynamics of the UVMS in decentralized form. The new controller has the advantages of simplicity of implementation due to decentralized design, precision, and robustness to payload variations and hydrodynamic disturbances. It has significantly low energy consumption compared to both the conventional PD and conventional fuzzy control methods. The effectiveness of the proposed controller is illustrated by results of simulations for a six degrees of freedom autonomous underwater vehicle with a three degrees of freedom on-board manipulator.     

创建“一体两翼”实践教学体系,促进创新人才培养

实践创新人才培养是新世纪高等教育人才培养的重点。华南师范大学物理学科基础课实验教学示范中心对实践教学等进行了系列改革和开创性探索,创建以实验课程体系作为主体、以实践创新和平台扩展作为二翼的"一体两翼"实践教学体系,不断提高实验教学质量,促进实践创新人才培养。     

δ-ALA levels in serum and urine—A diagnostic tool for possible lead poisoning

We present 2 cases of lead poisoning, the first of a child playing with painted toys and the second of an adult on local medicine. The former presented with acute abdomen and the latter with peripheral muscle weakness. We propose that raised serum δ-amino leavulinic acid (δ-ALA) levels strongly point towards the possibility of lead poisoning.     

Biochemical activity of selenium and glutathione on country made liquor (CML) induced hepatic damage in rats

The serum and hepatic enzymes of rats were studied after exposed to country made liquor (CML) along with two chelating agents (glutathione and Selenium). There was a significant increase in several serum enzyme levels (viz., aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, sorbitol dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, bilirubin) and decrease in various hepatic enzymes (Succinic dehydrogenase, Glucose 6-phosphatase, 5'Nucleotiease, Acid phosphatase, Acid ribonuclease, Cytochrome P-450) due to repeated administration of CML (2ml/100g of body weight). Results of this study revealed that the GSH and Se could give a significant protective action in serum and hepatic enzymes of CML exposed rats.