“The end justifies the means”

This paper seeks to demonstrate how the format of the current UPSR (Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah) examination influences the style of teaching of English in Primary Schools from Year 1 to 6. “Teachers teach for the test” is a common expression used to justify approaches to language teaching, and as the ‘test’ has only reading and writing components, oral and listening skills are given scant recognition for any contribution in preparing for the ‘test’. It is not the place of this paper to suggest wholesale changes to the UPSR examination, but that the preparation for this final test can be made more efficient by developing the students’ skills of listening and speaking as a foundation and efficient springboard to prepare them for the reading and writing elements of the test. This paper details changes in the assessment system for primary level one only, as the final three years of the child’s teaching can be dedicated to the intense preparation for success in the examination. This preparation will be much easier and more efficient because the children will be able to build on a foundation of communicative skills, prior to embarking on the more academic skills needed for the examination. This will serve the pupils in two ways, by allowing them to be more communicative with their language skills and give them a good foundation for the grammar, reading and written exercises which are the sole features of the UPSR examination. I will also give practical examples of level 1 Primary Schools examinations which can be more communicative and still be faithful to long term UPSR preparation. Versions of this scheme are already being carried out in Kelantan and a report on this will also be presented

Children's Health Coverage Facts and Figures

Outlines trends in children's health insurance in California. Reviews 1997-2009 milestones in expanding coverage and examines uninsurance rates; eligibility for and enrollment in public programs; sources of coverage by income and age; and access to care

Housing supply and planning delay in the South of England

There is growing international interest in the impact of regulatory controls on the supply of housing The UK has a particularly restrictive planning regime and a detailed and uncertain process of development control linked to it. This paper presents the findings of empirical research on the time taken to gain planning permission for selected recent major housing projects from a sample of local authorities in southern England. The scale of delay found was far greater than is indicated by average official data measuring the extent to which local authorities meet planning delay targets. If these results are representative of the country as a whole, they indicate that planning delay could be a major cause of the slow responsiveness of British housing supply

Patterns of growth, mortality, and size of the tropical damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus across the continental shelf of the Great Barrier Reef

Age-based analyses were used to demonstrate consistent differences in growth between populations of Acanthochromis polyacanthus (Pomacentridae) collected at three distance strata across the continental shelf (inner, mid-, and outer shelf) of the central Great Barrier Reef (three reefs per distance stratum). Fish had significantly greater maximum lengths with increasing distance from shore, but fish from all distances reached approximately the same maximum age, indicating that growth is more rapid for fish found on outer-shelf reefs. Only one fish collected from inner-shelf reefs reached >100 mm SL, whereas 38−67% of fish collected from the outer shelf were >100 mm SL. The largest age class of adult-size fish collected from inner and mid-shelf locations comprised 3−4 year-olds, but shifted to 2-year-olds on outer-shelf reefs. Mortality schedules (Z and S) were similar irrespective of shelf position (inner shelf: 0.51 and 60.0%; mid-shelf: 0.48 and 61.8%; outer shelf: 0.43 and 65.1%, respectively). Age validation of captive fish indicated that growth increments are deposited annually, between the end of winter and early spring. The observed cross-shelf patterns in adult sizes and growth were unlikely to be a result of genetic differences between sample populations because all fish collected showed the same color pattern. It is likely that cross-shelf variation in quality and quantity of food, as well as in turbidity, are factors that contribute to the observed patterns of growth. Similar patterns of cross-shelf mortality indicate that predation rates varied little across the shelf. Our study cautions against pooling demographic parameters on broad spatial scales without consideration of the potential for cross-shelf variabi

Teaching the Doppler Effect in Astrophysics

The Doppler effect is a shift in the frequency of waves emitted from an object moving relative to the observer. By observing and analysing the Doppler shift in electromagnetic waves from astronomical objects, astronomers gain greater insight into the structure and operation of our universe. In this paper, a simple technique is described for teaching the basics of the Doppler effect to undergraduate astrophysics students using acoustic waves. An advantage of the technique is that it produces a visual representation of the acoustic Doppler shift. The equipment comprises a 40 kHz acoustic transmitter and a microphone. The sound is bounced off a computer fan and the signal collected by a DrDAQ ADC and processed by a spectrum analyser. Widening of the spectrum is observed as the fan power supply potential is increased from 4 to 12 V.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, published in Eur. J. Phy

LAND USE IN THE AUSTRALIAN RANGELANDS

This paper reviews pastoral lease arrangements across Australia and considers the extent to which these affect the emergence of non-pastoral land uses. Some 44 per cent of Australia is made up of pastoral leases. The predominant use of these leases is for grazing livestock (primarily sheep and cattle). However, there is increasing demand for this land to be used for non-pastoral uses, such as tourism, farming of nonconventional livestock (such as goats, kangaroos and camels) and conservation of native wildlife. More neutral and outcome-focused pastoral leasing arrangements may better facilitate pastoral and non-pastoral land uses in the future.Land Economics/Use,