Generating varied narrative probability exercises

This paper presents Genpex, a system for automatic generation of narrative probability exercises. Generation of exercises in Genpex is done in two steps. First, the system creates a specification of a solvable probability problem, based on input from the user (a researcher or test developer) who selects a specific question type and a narrative context for the problem. Then, a text expressing the probability problem is generated. The user can tune the generated text by setting the values of some linguistic variation parameters. By varying the mathematical content of the exercise, its narrative context and the linguistic parameter settings, many different exercises can be produced. Here we focus on the natural language generation part of Genpex. After describing how the system works, we briefly present our first evaluation results, and discuss some aspects requiring further investigation

Reading in the Disciplines: The Challenges of Adolescent Literacy

A companion report to Carnegie's Time to Act, focuses on the specific skills and literacy support needed for reading in academic subject areas in higher grades. Outlines strategies for teaching content knowledge and reading strategies together

Quantifying origin and character of long-range correlations in narrative texts

In natural language using short sentences is considered efficient for communication. However, a text composed exclusively of such sentences looks technical and reads boring. A text composed of long ones, on the other hand, demands significantly more effort for comprehension. Studying characteristics of the sentence length variability (SLV) in a large corpus of world-famous literary texts shows that an appealing and aesthetic optimum appears somewhere in between and involves selfsimilar, cascade-like alternation of various lengths sentences. A related quantitative observation is that the power spectra S(f) of thus characterized SLV universally develop a convincing `1/f^beta' scaling with the average exponent beta =~ 1/2, close to what has been identified before in musical compositions or in the brain waves. An overwhelming majority of the studied texts simply obeys such fractal attributes but especially spectacular in this respect are hypertext-like, "stream of consciousness" novels. In addition, they appear to develop structures characteristic of irreducibly interwoven sets of fractals called multifractals. Scaling of S(f) in the present context implies existence of the long-range correlations in texts and appearance of multifractality indicates that they carry even a nonlinear component. A distinct role of the full stops in inducing the long-range correlations in texts is evidenced by the fact that the above quantitative characteristics on the long-range correlations manifest themselves in variation of the full stops recurrence times along texts, thus in SLV, but to a much lesser degree in the recurrence times of the most frequent words. In this latter case the nonlinear correlations, thus multifractality, disappear even completely for all the texts considered. Treated as one extra word, the full stops at the same time appear to obey the Zipfian rank-frequency distribution, however.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Information Science

Studying Games in School: a Framework for Media Education

This paper explores how media education principles can be extended to digital games, and whether the notion of ‘game literacy’ is an appropriate metaphor for thinking about the study of digital games in schools. Rationales for studying the media are presented, focusing on the importance of setting up social situations that encourage more systematic and critical understanding of games. The value of practical production, or game making, is emphasized, as a way of developing both conceptual understanding and creative abilities. Definitions of games are reviewed to explore whether the study of games is best described as a form of literacy. I conclude that games raise difficulties for existing literacy frameworks, but that it remains important to study the multiple aspects of games in an integrated way. A model for conceptualizing the study of games is presented which focuses on the relationship between design, play and culture

A collaborative project using narratives: What happens when pupils work on mathematical investigations?

Mathematical investigations involve searching for patterns, formulating, testing, and justifying conjectures, reflecting, and generalising. Doing investigations in the classroom is a powerful activity for students’ learning but poses many challenges to the teacher. To study the professional knowledge involved in this kind of work was the aim of a collaborative action-research project that involved one classroom teacher and two university teacher educators. We used narratives to depict relevant elements of teachers’ activity and to show key aspects of their dilemmas and uncertainties. This paper discusses the role of the collaborative work undertaken by the participants in the project as they reflected about classroom practices and curriculum issues, based on a narrative of a class where sixth grade students worked on a mathematical investigation.Investigações matemáticas envolvem a procura de regularidades, a formulação, teste e justificação de conjecturas, reflexão e generalização. Fazer investigações na sala de aula é uma actividade poderosa para a aprendizagem dos alunos mas coloca muitos desafios ao professor. O estudo do conhecimento profissional envolvido neste tipo de trabalho constituiu o objectivo de um projecto colaborativo de investigação-acção que envolveu uma professora de Matemática e dois educadores matemáticos universitários. Usámos narrativas para ilustrar aspectos relevantes da actividade da professora e para mostrar elementos importantes dos seus dilemas e incertezas. Tendo por base uma aula do 6.º ano de escolaridade em que os alunos trabalharam numa investigação matemática, o artigo discute o papel do trabalho colaborativo realizado pelos participantes no projecto enquanto reflectem sobre as práticas lectivas e as questões curriculares

Gatekeepers and lock masters: the control of access in the Neo-Assyrian palaces

Book description: This volume is intended as a tribute to the memory of the Sumerologist Jeremy Black, who died in 2004. The Sumerian phrase, ‘Your praise is sweet’ is commonly addressed to a deity at the close of a work of Sumerian literature. The scope of the thirty contributions, from Sumerology to the nineteenth-century rediscovery of Mesopotamia, is testament to Jeremy’s own wide-ranging interests and to his ability to forge scholarly connections and friendships among all who shared his interest in ancient Iraq