Plan recognition for space telerobotics

Current research on space telerobots has largely focused on two problem areas: executing remotely controlled actions (the tele part of telerobotics) or planning to execute them (the robot part). This work has largely ignored one of the key aspects of telerobots: the interaction between the machine and its operator. For this interaction to be felicitous, the machine must successfully understand what the operator is trying to accomplish with particular remote-controlled actions. Only with the understanding of the operator's purpose for performing these actions can the robot intelligently assist the operator, perhaps by warning of possible errors or taking over part of the task. There is a need for such an understanding in the telerobotics domain and an intelligent interface being developed in the chemical process design domain addresses the same issues

The Architecture of a Cooperative Respondent

If natural language question-answering (NLQA) systems are to be truly effective and useful, they must respond to queries cooperatively, recognizing and accommodating in their replies a questioner\u27s goals, plans, and needs. Transcripts of natural dialogue demonstrate that cooperative responses typically combine several communicative acts: a question may be answered, a misconception identified, an alternative course of action described and justified. This project concerns the design of cooperative response generation systems, NLQA systems that are able to provide integrated cooperative responses. Two questions must be answered before a cooperative NLQA system can be built. First, what are the reasoning mechanisms that underlie cooperative response generation? In partial reply, I argue that plan evaluation is an important step in the process of selecting a cooperative response, and describe several tests that may usefully be applied to inferred plans. The second question is this: what is an appropriate architecture for cooperative NLQA (CNLQA) systems? I propose a four-level decomposition of the cooperative response generation process and then present a suitable CNLQA system architecture based on the blackboard model of problem solving

Examining the goal systems of student teachers

textUnderstanding why novice science teachers use certain practices and not others upon entering the classroom remains an important question for those conducting research on science teaching and learning. Previous research suggests two important avenues for further study of science teachers: (1) more careful study of the student teaching semester; and (2) additional studies on the cognition of teachers. This study follows these traditions via investigation into the cognition of student teachers. The theoretical framework guiding this study draws upon goal-driven theories of cognition suggesting that teachers hold multiple goals that exist in goal systems. A teacher’s classroom practice is directed toward the satisfaction of one or more of these goals. Furthermore, goals can be reinforcing—the pursuit of one goal simultaneously satisfies a second goal—or goals can be conflicting—the pursuit of one goal inherently prevents the satisfaction of a second goal. Thus, a more careful study of the goal systems of teachers can lead to a deeper understanding of why science teachers use the practices they do in their classrooms. Given the theoretical framework, the research question driving this study is: what is the content of the goal systems of student teachers of science as they reflect on and plan for their first year of teaching? Qualitative methods, including interviews and document analysis, were used to investigate the goal systems of four student teachers at a large, southern state university during the spring of 2014. Findings from this study suggest novice teachers exit teacher education having integrated into their goal systems many, but not all, of the pedagogical approaches emphasized in their teacher education program. Findings also suggest that at the same time, student teachers have goals reflective of broader aspects of the school organization—goals such as teaching the state standards and collaborating with other science teachers. Finally, this study suggests that the goals student teachers hold with respect to the school organization may conflict with their pedagogical goals developed during teacher education, leading to movement away from the reform-oriented practices emphasized in teacher education. Finally, implications for teacher education and directions for future research are presented.Curriculum and Instructio

Evidence Issues in Domestic Violence Civil Cases

This article is intended to assist practitioners in anticipating and responding to some of the evidentiary challenges in civil cases in which relief is sought for the victims of domestic violence. First, expert testimony is often necessary to dispel common myths about battered women and to educate judges and juries about the dynamics of domestic violence. Recent case law, however, has limited the admissibility of non-scientific expert testimony and may make it difficult for practitioners to use experts in their cases. In addition, particular evidentiary issues arise when victims are pursuing both criminal and civil remedies against the batterer. This article will explore the ways in which evidence issues may benefit and inhibit civil actions arising from the domestic violence. Finally, we will discuss the difficulties in using prior bad acts evidence. Because batterers tend to engage in repeated acts of abuse, evidence of prior acts may be particularly relevant in proving the extent of harm and predicting the likelihood of future abuse. Traditional principles of evidence law, however, often prohibit the admission of other crimes, wrongs and acts

Defining Violence on the Blackboard: An Overview of the Texas Education Code's Approach to Teen Dating Violence (Comment)

Texas has taken a pioneering step by creating § 37.0831 of the Texas Education Code (the Teen Dating Violence statute) requiring Texas school districts to implement a dating violence policy in their schools. However, as this Comment will show, the current language of the Texas statute is unassertive and fails to provide school districts with sufficient direction for constructing and implementing an effective dating violence policy. Part II of this Comment outlines the various legal remedies teens in Texas have to protect themselves from dating violence, explains why these legal remedies are insufficient, and argues why the Texas Education Code has the potential to be a more adequate remedy. Part III explores the requirements set forth in the Teen Dating Violence statute, explains the importance of school districts satisfying each requirement, and recommends specific statutory revisions to provide school districts with more direction in satisfying the requirement. I conclude by providing a suggested amended version of the Teen Dating Violence statute designed to guide the Texas legislature and other State governments in creating a statute that is more explanatory and, thus, a more effective weapon against teen dating violence

Developing Academic Language In The Context Of A Fourth Grade Mathematics Geometry Curriculum Unit

The research question addressed in this capstone project was: How can a mathematics geometry curriculum unit be organized to support and develop academic language for fourth grade students through meaningful engagement strategies? The author reviewed literature in the areas of English as a Second Language and mathematics and synthesized best practice methods for teaching common to the two disciplines. The author found that explicit teaching, practice, and support of academic language is vital and beneficial for linguistically diverse learners, with attention to word, sentence, and discourse dimensions. Mathematics is rich in language, particularly when lessons are structured to allow students to develop their own understanding. The developed curriculum unit anticipates common possible misconceptions and necessary academic language support structures. The lesson modules include desired results aligned with Minnesota State Standards in Mathematics, an assessment evidence statement that measures academic language development and mathematics concepts, and a learning plan with engaging student-centered learning activities that teachers can implement with fourth grade students

Developing Measures of Teacher and Student Understanding in Relation to Learning Trajectories

This paper describes the impact of the OGAP intervention on teachers’ ability to use formative assessment data for instructional decision making. We measured this construct both before and after one and two years of the intervention with an instrument developed to measure teacher knowledge of student thinking in the activity of looking at and responding to student work. We begin with an overview of the design and development of the TASK instrument, and then present quantitative and qualitative findings on the impact on teacher responses

Designing for the Dissonance: Community-engaged Field Experiences for Challenging Curricular Misconceptions of Place toward Localizing and Indigenizing Curricula within Elementary Teacher Education.

Harmful oversights remain in elementary social studies curricula which overlook or misrepresent minoritized communities. This dissertation explores designs for teacher education which address these oversights through community collaborations. This multi-manuscript dissertation is an empirical-conceptual inquiry design (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009), as it is not purely empirical or conceptual research. This design allows for an independent discussion of each study, while interpreting phenomena across the three chapters. Acknowledging my positionality as a white female, in a predominantly white, female profession, I look to Indigenous and Black scholars, both locally and broadly, to inform my perspective and project design. Using a phenomenological lens and ethnographic approaches, I conducted two empirical studies within two different community-based field experiences through an elementary social studies methods course. Sociocultural considerations of space, socioecological considerations of place, and critical culturally sustaining and revitalizing pedagogy (McCarty & Lee, 2014) provide the theoretical frame for this series of investigations. Guidance from Decolonizing Methodologies (Tuhiwai-Smith, 2021), methods from the fields of S-STEP, Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices, and reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021), necessitated attention to self-reflexivity, improvement, and relationships. Researching from the positionality of a traditionally defined teacher educator, I hope to build upon collaborative research scholarship which expands who is considered a teacher educator. These studies investigate teaching practices through community and preservice teacher narratives, which critically explore places as a means of overcoming curricular misconceptions. Findings describe curricular possibilities and limitations, and the implications when these two phenomena clash, what I am conceptualizing as curricular dissonance. I provide evidence of this phenomena in the first two empirical chapters. In my third chapter, I conceptualize this phenomenon as a site for learning through field experiences which confront the tensions inherent in teacher education and curriculum studies, to engage scholars across both fields of research

Laboratory Experiences for Prospective Science Teachers: A Meta-analytic Review of Issues and Concerns

Prospective science teachers need to be prepared for making laboratory experiences integral part of teaching-learning of science in order to facilitate students to nurture their natural curiosity. This can engage students towards acquiring proficiency in the processes that can lead them to inquiry and generation and validation of scientific knowledge. This study is guided by the research question, “what is the status of laboratory experiences for prospective teachers?” and “what is missing in prospective science teachers’ preparation programme in order to bring excellence in science education?” An attempt has been made to carry out a meta-analytical review of the relevant literature to address some of the issues and concerns for providing laboratory experiences to prospective science teachers. Major issues emerging from the review of literature in this area are– recognizing need and understanding objectives of laboratory work from pedagogical prospective; integrating it with theory and providing laboratory experiences infused with inquiry