Teaching control theory in high school

Controls is increasingly central to technology, science, and society, yet remains the “hidden technology.” Our appropriate emphasis on mathematical rigor and practical relevance in the past 40 years has not been similarly balanced with technical accessibility. The aim of this tutorial is to enlist the controls community in helping to radically rethink controls education. In addition to the brief 2 hour tutorial at CDC, we will have a website with additional materials, but particularly extensive online videos with mathematical details and case studies. We will also have a booth in the exhibition area at CDC with live demos and engaging competitions throughout the conference

Can the teaching factory model improve the entrepreneurial intentions of vocational high school students?

Entrepreneurial intentions play an essential role in creating new entrepreneurs. There are many methods of teaching entrepreneurship that aim to form entrepreneurial intentions, and one of them is considered suitable to be applied in vocational high schools, namely factory teaching. This study examined the effect of the teaching factory on entrepreneurial intentions through the theory of planned behavior dimension. There were 280 vocational high school students participated in the study. Data was collected via online questionnaires and analyzed with Amos software using the structural equation modeling method. The teaching factory has been shown to influence students’ entrepreneurial intentions both directly and indirectly via mediators of attitudes toward behavior and perceived behavioral control. This study also provided important implications for vocational practitioners to develop a teaching factory learning model as a school business unit based on the needs of the world of work. Good management of the teaching factory is expected to prepare prospective new entrepreneurs from vocational school graduates

Effect of mathematical software on senior secondary school students’ achievement in geometry

In spite of the numerous benefits of geometry to the learners, there has been an abysmal achievement of students in the concept. Could it be that an appropriate teaching strategy is not used in teaching the concept to the students? This quasi-experimental research design was carried out using non-randomised pretest and posttest group. To ascertain the achievement of high school students using mathematical software in geometry class. David kolb’s experiential theory of learning was used as an underpinning theory. From the total of 12,308 high school students in Benue state Nigeria, 457 sample was drawn for the study. Test of hypotheses was done using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance, whereas Mean and Standard Deviation were used to answer the questions in the research. The findings of the research show that students in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group, with a Mean score of 68.94 versus 58.45. The study findings also showed a statistically difference in the achievement and there were no gender disparities in both groups. The study concluded that mathematical softwares improved students’ achievement, hence, recommended that teachers should adopt mathematical software in the teaching of geometrical constructions and other mathematical concepts for students’ high achievement

Critical thinking and hypothetic-deductive scheme for studying the elements of quantum theory

The study provided research and experimental verification of the hypothetic-deductive scheme for teaching the theory of quantum physics to secondary school students. The study highlighted the technologies and didactic tools, which help to boost the effectiveness of teaching physics to students and develop their critical thinking. It was found that the hypothetic-deductive scheme is based on the concept of critical rationalism and it has such stages: problem-hypotheses-rational criticism-choice of hypothesis-rational criticism of the new theory-new problem. The study described the stages of its implementation for teaching students the basics of quantum physics. To prove the effectiveness of the suggested scheme, the study carried out a comparative experiment in which 479 students took part (there were 241 students in experimental classes and 238 students in control classes). The statistical procession and interpretation of the experiment results were carried out with Pearson’s Chi-squared test. After the experiment, the quality of learning achievements that corresponds to the sufficient and high levels is 62.87% in the experimental classes, whereas in the control classes this figure is 52.48%. In further prospect, researchers plan to check the effectiveness of the suggested scheme to study other theories, which are studied in secondary school

The Relationship between Teachers and School Professional Staff’s Retention and Managerial Styles

The retention of teachers and school professional staff is a challenge for the development and management of schools, particularly for international schools with difficulties in recruiting qualified teachers and school professional staff from overseas. However, only a few research projects have focused on how administrative styles influence the turnover of international school teachers and school professional staff. The researcher collected data from two semi-structured interview sessions with 51 international school teachers who have taught at an international school for more than a decade in one of two metropolitan districts in mainland China. This project aims, through the lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory, to understand why international school teachers and school professional staff decide to stay in a particular international school for their teaching career development. The participants indicated “acknowledgement from upper leadership”, “classroom/workplace authorities”, and “well-established facilities” to explain their current occupation as experienced international school teachers. The findings also outline potential solutions which could control the high turnover rate in international schools and local schools in the East Asian regions

Conceptual Change: The Integration of Geologic Time into the Teaching of Evolution

This study attempts to discern if geologic time is a threshold concept for student understanding of evolutionary theory. A threshold concept enables the learner to unpack other concepts because of its importance in thought construction. In this study three teachers and ten sections of biology were investigated from the same high school. Each teacher used the same activities, in the same sequence, and with identical evaluation methods. Students in the treatment group covered a unit on geologic time prior to completing course work on evolutionary theory. Student misconceptions in both control and treatment groups were assessed using a composite concept inventory administered post and prior to the study. Statistical analysis conducted revealed no statistical evidence to support the contention that the treatment method was more effective than traditional methods of teaching evolution. It was found that students agreed significantly more with evolution post study in both treatment and control groups

Hilbert Spaces Induced by Toeplitz Covariance Kernels

This is a book chapter that appeared in Stochastic Theory and Control by Bozenna Pasik-Duncan (ed.). This volume contains almost all of the papers that were presented at the Workshop on Stochastic Theory and Control that was held at the Univ- sity of Kansas, 18–20 October 2001. This three-day event gathered a group of leading scholars in the ?eld of stochastic theory and control to discuss leading-edge topics of stochastic control, which include risk sensitive control, adaptive control, mathematics of ?nance, estimation, identi?cation, optimal control, nonlinear ?ltering, stochastic di?erential equations, stochastic p- tial di?erential equations, and stochastic theory and its applications. The workshop provided an opportunity for many stochastic control researchers to network and discuss cutting-edge technologies and applications, teaching and future directions of stochastic control. Furthermore, the workshop focused on promoting control theory, in particular stochastic control, and it promoted collaborative initiatives in stochastic theory and control and stochastic c- trol education. The lecture on “Adaptation of Real-Time Seizure Detection Algorithm” was videotaped by the PBS. Participants of the workshop have been involved in contributing to the documentary being ?lmed by PBS which highlights the extraordinary work on “Math, Medicine and the Mind: Discovering Tre- ments for Epilepsy” that examines the e?orts of the multidisciplinary team on which several of the participants of the workshop have been working for many years to solve one of the world’s most dramatic neurological conditions. Invited high school teachers of Math and Science were among the part- ipants of this professional meeting.https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/facultybooks/1324/thumbnail.jp

Community Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices Associated with Urogenital Schistosomiasis among School-Aged Children in Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania

Background: On the Zanzibar islands, United Republic of Tanzania, elimination of urogenital schistosomiasis is strived for in the coming years. This qualitative study aimed to better understand community knowledge, perceptions, and practices associated with schistosomiasis among school-aged children on Unguja and Pemba islands, in order to inform the development of behavior change interventions contributing to eliminate urogenital schistosomiasis. Methodology: In 2011, we conducted 35 children’s discussion groups, 41 in-depth interviews with parents and teachers, and 5 focus group discussions with community members in Zanzibar. Using a modified-grounded theory approach, we transcribed and coded the narrative data followed by thematic analysis of the emergent themes. Principal Findings: Urogenital schistosomiasis is a common experience among children in Zanzibar and typically considered a boys’ disease. Children engage in multiple high-risk behaviors for acquiring schistosomiasis because of poor knowledge on disease transmission, lack of understanding on severity of disease-associated consequences, and lack of alternative options for water related activities of daily living and recreational play. Local primary school teachers had little to no training about the disease and no teaching tools or materials for students. Conclusions/Significance: Conducting activities in open natural freshwater contaminated by S. haematobium larvae compromises the health of school-aged children in Zanzibar. The perception of urogenital schistosomiasis as a minor illness rather than a serious threat to a child’s well-being contributes to the spread of disease. Understanding community perceptions of disease along with the barriers and facilitators to risk reduction behaviors among children can inform health promotion activities, campaigns, and programs for the prevention, control, and elimination of urogenital schistosomiasis in Zanzibar

Web 2.0 Technologies for Classroom Instruction: High School Teachers\u27 Perceptions and Adoption Factors

Web 2.0 technologies have potential for teaching and learning, but show a slow rate of adoption in education. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that contribute to high school teachers\u27 intention to use Web 2.0 technologies for classroom instruction. Research questions examined were (a) To what extent are high school teachers using Web 2.0 technologies for classroom instruction? (b) What opinions do high school teachers have regarding Web 2.0 technologies for classroom instruction? (c) Which factors best predict the decision of high school teachers to adopt or not Web 2.0 technologies for classroom instruction? The decomposed theory of planned behavior was used as theoretical framework. A survey design was employed adapting Ajjan and Hartshorne\u27s (2008) questionnaire. Participants were high school teachers from a specific school region of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Data from 137 participants were analyzed using descriptive and multiple regression methods. Findings showed that teachers do not use these technologies: blogs 51.1%, wikis 36.5%, social networking 53.3%, social bookmarking 59.9%, and audio/video conferencing 41.6%. Many did not plan to use them at all. Regarding predictors of teachers\u27 behavioral intention to use Web 2.0 technologies: attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control were significant predictors, with attitude the strongest (β = .634); of the decomposed factors, perceived usefulness and compatibility were significant predictors. Teacher comments suggested that lack of equipment, lack of training, lack of funding, security issues, and firewalls were possible obstacles affecting perceived usefulness and compatibility

Prospective Teachers\u27 Comprehension Levels of Special Relativity Theory and the Effect of Writing for Learning on Achievement

In the present study, the comprehension levels of special relativity theory in prospective teachers who take the Introduction to Modern Physics lesson in the faculty of education science teaching department and the effect of writing for learning on their achievement is researched. In the research, a control group pre-test post-test quasi-experimental research model was used. Research data were obtained by using open-ended questions prepared by the researcher. The lesson was conducted in the beginning by using the verbal-written explanation method. Then each student in the experimental group wrote a summary which clearly explains the special relativity theory for a high school student within the framework of the writing for learning activity. By contrast, the control group students solved the problems related to the subject in the course book. A total of 73 students (51 female and 22 male) studying at the second grade in the 2011-2012 academic year participated in the study. The research findings showed that the comprehension levels of special relativity theory in prospective teachers were low; the result obtained by the qualitative and quantitative comparison of the post-test results of the experimental and control groups and their achievement percentage in the exam were in favor of the experimental group. Furthermore, 87.2% of the students who wrote down their opinions about the activity of writing for learning understood the special relativity theory; and the activity of writing for learning was effective in learning the special relativity theory