Developing Mathematical Learning Device Using Ttw (Think- Talk-Write) Strategy Assisted By Learning Cd To Foster Mathematical Communication

This research aims to produce mathematical learning device or tool using TTW strategy that is valid, practical, and effective. The developed device consists of syllabi, Learning Implementation Plan (RPP), Student Reading which is packaged in CD (BBS), and an evaluation tool. Receiver of treatment or Subjects are the eighth grade students of Muhammadiyah Junior High School in Purworejo. First experiment held in the class A of eighth grade students aimed to determine the legibility of device and the level of difficulty, distinguishing features, and reliability test learning outcomes. Second experiment conducted in class C of eighth grade students aimed to verify the practicality of the device and the effectiveness of learning using developed devices, whereas the class G is as control class. Results from 5 validations of the device are: the mean score of syllabi is 3.48; RPP is 3.79; BBS is 3.73; LKS is 3.73; assessment tool is 3.71 (on scale 1-4). Such results mean that validation criteria of the device is valid. The score of experiment results showed that the criteria of learning process is 3.80; the students’ response is 93.85%; the teacher’s score is 3.91, that means it’s a practical device. Learning using the devices results a classical learning mastery, and achievement test of an experimental class is better than the control class. Furthermore, student’s activity has a positive influence for achievement, so it’s the effective device. Key words: developed device, Think-Talk-Write (TTW), the mathematical learnin

Information Outlook, August 2006

Volume 10, Issue 8https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_io_2006/1007/thumbnail.jp

A single-photon sampling architecture for solid-state imaging

Advances in solid-state technology have enabled the development of silicon photomultiplier sensor arrays capable of sensing individual photons. Combined with high-frequency time-to-digital converters (TDCs), this technology opens up the prospect of sensors capable of recording with high accuracy both the time and location of each detected photon. Such a capability could lead to significant improvements in imaging accuracy, especially for applications operating with low photon fluxes such as LiDAR and positron emission tomography. The demands placed on on-chip readout circuitry imposes stringent trade-offs between fill factor and spatio-temporal resolution, causing many contemporary designs to severely underutilize the technology's full potential. Concentrating on the low photon flux setting, this paper leverages results from group testing and proposes an architecture for a highly efficient readout of pixels using only a small number of TDCs, thereby also reducing both cost and power consumption. The design relies on a multiplexing technique based on binary interconnection matrices. We provide optimized instances of these matrices for various sensor parameters and give explicit upper and lower bounds on the number of TDCs required to uniquely decode a given maximum number of simultaneous photon arrivals. To illustrate the strength of the proposed architecture, we note a typical digitization result of a 120x120 photodiode sensor on a 30um x 30um pitch with a 40ps time resolution and an estimated fill factor of approximately 70%, using only 161 TDCs. The design guarantees registration and unique recovery of up to 4 simultaneous photon arrivals using a fast decoding algorithm. In a series of realistic simulations of scintillation events in clinical positron emission tomography the design was able to recover the spatio-temporal location of 98.6% of all photons that caused pixel firings.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figures, 5 table

The Economics of International Differences in Educational Achievement

An emerging economic literature over the past decade has made use of international tests of educational achievement to analyze the determinants and impacts of cognitive skills. The cross-country comparative approach provides a number of unique advantages over national studies: It can exploit institutional variation that does not exist within countries; draw on much larger variation than usually available within any country; reveal whether any result is country-specific or more general; test whether effects are systematically heterogeneous in different settings; circumvent selection issues that plague within-country identification by using system-level aggregated measures; and uncover general-equilibrium effects that often elude studies in a single country. The advantages come at the price of concerns about the limited number of country observations, the cross-sectional character of most available achievement data, and possible bias from unobserved country factors like culture. This chapter reviews the economic literature on international differences in educational achievement, restricting itself to comparative analyses that are not possible within single countries and placing particular emphasis on studies trying to address key issues of empirical identification. While quantitative input measures show little impact, several measures of institutional structures and of the quality of the teaching force can account for significant portions of the large international differences in the level and equity of student achievement. Variations in skills measured by the international tests are in turn strongly related to individual labor-market outcomes and, perhaps more importantly, to cross-country variations in economic growth.education production function, cognitive skills, human capital, international student achievement tests

The Economics of International Differences in Educational Achievement

An emerging economic literature over the past decade has made use of international tests of educational achievement to analyze the determinants and impacts of cognitive skills. The cross-country comparative approach provides a number of unique advantages over national studies: It can exploit institutional variation that does not exist within countries; draw on much larger variation than usually available within any country; reveal whether any result is country-specific or more general; test whether effects are systematically heterogeneous in different settings; circumvent selection issues that plague within-country identification by using system-level aggregated measures; and uncover general-equilibrium effects that often elude studies in a single country. The advantages come at the price of concerns about the limited number of country observations, the cross-sectional character of most available achievement data, and possible bias from unobserved country factors like culture. This chapter reviews the economic literature on international differences in educational achievement, restricting itself to comparative analyses that are not possible within single countries and placing particular emphasis on studies trying to address key issues of empirical identification. While quantitative input measures show little impact, several measures of institutional structures and of the quality of the teaching force can account for significant portions of the large international differences in the level and equity of student achievement. Variations in skills measured by the international tests are in turn strongly related to individual labor-market outcomes and, perhaps more importantly, to cross-country variations in economic growth.human capital, cognitive skills, international student achievement tests, education production function

Willingness to Pay for Agricultural Environmental Safety: Evidence from a Survey of Milan, Italy, Residents

The widespread use of pesticides in agriculture provides a particularly complex pattern of multidimensional negative side-effects, ranging from food safety related effects to the deterioration of farmland ecosystems. The assessment of the economic implications of such negative processes is fraught with many uncertainties. This paper presents results of an empirical study recently conducted in the North of Italy aimed at estimating the value of reducing the multiple impacts of pesticide use. A statistical technique known as conjoint choice experiment is used here in combination with contingent valuation techniques. The experimental design of choice modelling provides a natural tool to attach a monetary value to negative environmental effects associated with agrochemicals use. In particular, the paper addresses the reduction of farmland biodiversity, groundwater contamination and human intoxication. The resulting estimates show that, on average, respondents are prone to accept substantial willingness to pay premia for agricultural goods (in particular, foodstuff) produced in environmentally benign ways.Pesticide risks, Food safety, Willingness-to-pay, Choice modeling, Contingent valuation

Assessing proposals for preschool and kindergarten : essential information for parents, taxpayers and policymakers

abstract: Proposals for universal preschool and all-day kindergarten are an increasingly popular policy solution for everything from low academic achievement, to reducing crime, to lowering the dropout rate. In summer 2005, a national task force co-chaired by Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano called for $8 billion annually in federal support for preschool. California and Arizona are leading the charge toward universal preschool and full-day kindergarten. California may become the national prototype for universal preschool. To help determine the efficacy of early education programs, we examine the results of some of the programs considered to be early education models—including, Perry Preschool, Chicago Child Parent Studies, Abecedarian, and Head Start—and find the research to be flawed and therefore of questionable value. We also review information from the National Center for Education Statistics, which reports no lasting reading, math, or science achievement differences between children who attend half-day and full-day kindergarten. We also examine the results of the National Assessment of Education Progress in Georgia and Oklahoma, where universal preschool has been fully implemented without quantifiable benefit. We find the widespread adoption of preschool and full-day kindergarten is unlikely to improve student achievement.Policy study (Reason Foundation) ; no. 344. EPRU-0605-399-OW

Will the United States Follow England (and the Rest of the World) in Abandoning Capital Punishment?

[Excerpt] “Walking down Nanjing Road in Shanghai, you will not only pass by the foreign clothing stores that seem to be taking over the area, but also Pepsi signs every fifty feet, a McDonald’s, and a KFC—all with the backdrop of Chinese characters and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Along your way, you can stop in The Chopstick Shop to find the perfect set of chopsticks, buy a smoothie from a vendor, or just sit on a bench and watch the thousands of Chinese people walk by wearing Nike hats and Levi’s jeans. Just across the river is the Pudong New Area, ten years ago just farmland—now one of the most recognized skylines in China, indeed, in the world. These skyscrapers showcase foreign investment in China like nothing else. Foreign banks, companies, and law firms are all flocking to this area to compete in the Chinese marketplace. There is no doubt that even China, a country halfway across the world and so fundamentally different from the United States, is influenced by our business and culture. American culture is no longer limited to the fifty states, but is a way of life throughout most of the world. The way we dress, the way we act, even the way we think is becoming the global norm. However, this is not just a one-way road; the United States is also slowly adapting to the way the rest of the world thinks. One area where this can be seen is in the recent Supreme Court cases relying on international precedent. Much like the streets in China that are no longer free from foreign influences, our own Constitution is now being interpreted using international authority. Justices Scalia and Thomas disapprove. In his dissent in Lawrence v. Texas, Scalia went so far as to state that the use of international authority is meaningless and dangerous dicta. Justice Thomas, referencing international precedent on capital punishment, has stated that “this Court’s Eighth Amendment jurisprudence should not impose foreign moods, fads, or fashions on Americans.” But do we not as Americans impose our fashions, fads, and moods on the rest of the world? The irony is thick—our globalization mentality is coming back to haunt us.

Language and Speech Predictors of Reading Achievement in Preschool Children with Language Disorders

ABSTRACT LANGUAGE AND SPEECH PREDICTORS OF READING ACHIEVEMENT IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WITH LANGUAGE DISORDERS by Juliet K. Haarbauer-Krupa The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the relationship between language and reading in children diagnosed with developmental language disorder (DLD) during preschool. An archival data set was available for analysis. Preschool children with DLD who were assessed between 35 and 74 months for preschool language and speech abilities (Rapin, 1996) returned for language, speech and reading testing at age seven years. Children who enrolled in the study were a clinically referred sample, met criteria for average nonverbal intellectual functioning, and demonstrated below average performance on a composite language measure. To evaluate a hypothesis about the contribution of vocabulary, grammar, and speech articulation to reading outcome measures, a series of regression analyses tested models to identify predictors of reading achievement at age seven. Results indicated a strong, positive relationship between language skills assessed at both ages and reading comprehension. School-age language and speech skills explained 25% of the variance in reading comprehension after controlling for word identification skills. Grammar at school age was a significant unique predictor of reading comprehension. Preschool language and speech skills explained 22% of the variance after controlling for word identification skills. Speech articulation was not related to reading outcomes. In contrast, regression analyses suggested that language and speech skills did not predict word reading abilities. Children who had reading comprehension difficulties had weaker vocabulary, grammar and speech skills compared to children who had average and above comprehension skills. Findings support previous research describing a relationship between language skills and reading comprehension. Language skills measured at preschool can predict reading comprehension difficulties in elementary school for children with DLD. Results highlight the importance of early identification and intervention of language impairment in children to improve areas of vocabulary and grammar critical to reading success